


Harrison Alistair and the Prisoner of Azkaban

by MysticWolfShadows



Series: Harrison Alistair [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Basilisks, Friendly Harry, Good Severus Snape, Hogwarts Third Year, Hufflepuff Ron Weasley, I think anyway, Not Dumbledore Friendly, Sassy Harry, Slytherin Harry Potter, Smart Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-06-30 07:38:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticWolfShadows/pseuds/MysticWolfShadows
Summary: After two years of near death experiences at school, it wouldn't be a surprise if something happened again this year. But this time, the challenge seems more personal.





	1. Family Keeping Secrets

True to Mama’s word, Harry spent the summer either in his room, in the library, or by Mama’s side. She was keeping a close eye on him, clearly determined to not let Harry get into anymore trouble. He couldn't really blame her, though. He had been nearly killed at school. Again. For the second year in a row. 

So Harry didn't argue when Mama insisted that he stay close, though it wasn’t all bad. She didn't make him hold her hand when out in public, and she didn't make him stay inside all day. They still had the family over to celebrate Jasper's graduation. He already had a job lined up at a menagerie, taking care of animals. Harry thought it was quite fitting. Jasper was quiet and loved animals. He'd do well working in a menagerie.

Early July, they went out to visit Dorian and Marissa, so Mama and Papa could hear about Dorian's new job as a Quidditch instructor at Dungstrum. Neva and Emit were there as well, but on behalf of the  _ Daily Prophet's _ sport section. The article and accompanying photo of them at lunch was put in the  _ Prophet _ the next week, in the same issue with Ron's family in Egypt. 

It wasn't long after that did his parents and siblings start to act strangely. Mid July, Harry noticed the way Moria or Emit and Neva came to the house more often then before. Quinn even stopped by a few times, seeming worried and concerned, and was soon shooed off when Mama had enough of his strange hovering. 

Harry didn't have a clue what was going on. Mama seemed to think there was nothing wrong, and Papa was as stoick as always. Inside the house, things seemed fairly normal. Skyla was getting ready for her Newts, and Derrick was busy with his potions. The elves were still running around and cleaning like they would rather die then let even one speck of dust into the house. But they got jumpy when he was alone in a room with them, and Skyla was constantly running away from him under the guise of needing to study more. Mama and Papa would stop talking when he entered a room. 

Ron and Hermione came to stay at the house, just before his birthday. They would stay two weeks, for his birthday, the Summer Gala, and Russell’s wedding. He was excited to see them, grinning wide when Hermione finally arrived by car and Ron arrived by floo. They would each have one of the guest rooms in the wing Harry's room was in, so they could still have fun, but also keep out of the way when Russel and Maria's guests arrive. 

But with Ron and Hermione came an explanation to the strangeness of his family. 

“It's a good thing you changed your name in secret,” Hermione said as Harry was leading her to the library. “Though I don't know why Mrs. Alistair let you have your photo in the paper with Dorian. It's so dangerous now.” 

“Dangerous?” Harry prompted, confused. He knew Mama was worried about him being in danger, but he wasn't right now. He wasn't at Hogwarts. “Why would it be dangerous?” 

“It was all over the Prophet yesterday,” Hermione said, only to get distracted as they arrived to the library. She was gone in the shelves before Harry could stop her. 

Turning Ron, Harry rose a confused brow. Maybe Ron would know what danger was now lurking in a place that wasn't Hogwarts. But Ron just shrugged and went off to the shelf Harry knew had books about Quidditch. If Hermione was to distracted, and Ron had no clue, then Harry was going to find out himself. 

“Dizzy,” he said, softly enough so as not to disturb his friends. 

“Master Harry need Dizzy?” The elf asked as she popped into the room. “Or may Dizzy be going to work again? Dizzy is very busy. Very, very busy.” 

“I was wondering if I could have a copy of yesterday's Daily Prophet.” 

There was a pause. Then, Dizzy began to shake. Her eyes were round, big with what Harry could only described as… fear. Dizzy, afraid? It was practically unheard of. The little elf had had nerves of steel since Harry met her, even giving them orders when it came to the house or their health. 

“Dizzy does not have yesterday Prophet,” Dizzy said, shaking her head so fast that her big floppy ears slapped at the side of her head. “Master Harry would like tea instead. Master Harry loves Dizzy tea. Master Harry could offer tea to his friends. Dizzy will make tea now!” 

“Dizzy,” Harry said, only the elf was already gone.

Harry tried to ask Hermione again later, but it never worked. She was usually stuck in a book she'd pulled from the library, or one of Harry's relatives were nearby. He didn't want to keep secrets from them, but they were clearly hiding something from him. And he was determined to find out what. 

His plan was a bit convoluted. Harry couldn't order a copy of the Prophet, because Mama would notice Hedwig coming back with something like that, and if Hermione was to distracted to tell him, Harry was going to get someone else to tell him what's going on. His birthday party this year was going to be a bit different then the years before, and Harry thought it would be the perfect place to find some information. This year, Mama had arranged for Harry's friends to come to the house to celebrate. That list was more then just Ron and Hermione, as she had invited Zabini, Malfoy, and Nott to come as well. Nina and Dahlia came back from Holyhead, and Marissa and Jasper came as well. But Harry knew what to do, and planned on asking Zabini or Malfoy to send him a copy of the Prophet in secret. 

The party was a fairly simple one. They would eat lunch, play some Quidditch and maybe a few muggle games Hermione had brought, open presents, then have dinner and cake. It was a very simple start. Malfoy and Zabini arrived together. Something about their mothers having tea together that morning. Nott was late, so they started lunch without him. It was just a simple lunch, sandwiches and tea, and while Malfoy didn't seem all that impressed by it, he still still liked it. Nott showed up halfway through with his father. The man didn't look pleased, and had Nott apologize for his tardiness. 

“You don't play Quidditch,” Harry said to Nott, as the rest of them were getting ready to head outside. “Maybe Hermione could show you the library? We could come get you when it's time for presents.” 

Instantly, Nott's face morphed from a plain and uninterested one, into a look of cautious glee. “Are you sure, Alistair?” 

“Of course,” Harry said, giving the bookworm a smile. “Besides, Hermione and Jasper aren't playing either, so we'd have an odd number of players if you did join.” 

With a grateful smile, Nott nodded and headed for the library with Hermione. Turning back to the yard, Harry followed the others out to the field. They would have teams of four, Harry as one teams captain, leading Dahlia, Malfoy, and Ron, while Nina led the other team, made of Marissa, Skyla, and Zabini. They had tried to make the teams as even as possible, while still letting everyone keep the positions they would normally play. Harry and Skyla would be seekers, Malfoy, Nina, Marissa, and Dahlia were chasers, and Ron and Blaise were keepers. The only one really out of their position was Dahlia, who was normally a seeker. 

They played for a few hours, deciding to not let out the Bludgers, and instead focusing on the Quaffle. Harry and Skyla also pitched in as makeshift Chasers, but their eyes were mostly on the Snitch. They were going for a while, playing four or five games, all with a different set of teams each time. Harry's team won three times, and he was pretty proud of that. 

After flying high for a good three and a half hours, they came down from the chilly air, and headed inside. Dizzy was ready with hot cocoa, having them all sit down and handing them cups filled with with the sweet liquid. 

“Your elf makes wonderful hot chocolate,” Malfoy said, though he didn't look quite as pleased as he sounded. “I'll have to get her to teach Dobby.” 

“Dobby?” Harry asked. 

“Yeah,” Zabini said, grinning at Malfoy like there was a joke there. “ _ Dobby _ .” 

Harry frowned, looking between his two housemates. Malfoy seemed to shrink in on himself, a light pink dusting on his cheeks. 

“I may not have been completely honest,” Malfoy said, slow and careful. “About what I knew. I… know a little more about what happened. At the beginning of the year. And at the Quidditch match.” 

“What?” Ron said, just as confused as Harry. 

“I'm talking about the barrier to the train, Weasley,” Malfoy sneered. “And the rogue Bludger.” 

Harry laughed. “Oh, those? I already figured out it was Voldemort. I mean, who else would want me dead or out of Hogwarts?” 

Even though the others sitting at the table jumped, Malfoy was scowling at him, shaking his head. Harry frowned. 

“It… wasn't Voldemort?” 

“Stop saying his name,” Malfoy hissed. “But no. It wasn't the Dark Lord. It, er… was Dobby. My house elf.” 

“Your… house elf.” 

Malfoy seemed to go pink again, and gained a frustrated look on his face. “I may have… rambled aloud that you were likely to get hunted down for being friends with Granger one day while he was in the room. He seemed to take that as an order to… save your life by stop you from coming to school?” 

For a moment, Harry did his best to process that. Malfoy had been worried enough about his safety that he’d rambled about it? It was a pretty nice to know Malfoy cared that much. And a little cute that the elf cared so much about Malfoy to try so hard to keep Harry safe on his behalf. Even though Harry had nearly died in one of those attempts. 

“As long as your elf doesn’t try to ever save my life again,” Harry said, giving a bit of a grin. “Then it’s fine. But I have a favor to ask. If you don’t mind.” 

“Of course,” Malfoy said quickly. “Whatever you need. You did save my life, after all.” 

“Do you remember what was in the paper yesterday? I know it sounds odd, but I would really like to know.” 

“I’m afraid I don’t. Blaise? Do you?” 

“Something having to do with Harry Potter,” Zabini said, shrugging. “They still can’t find him, and something’s got the Ministry all shaken up about it.” 

Harry went wide eyed, jerking a little in surprise, as he turned to share a look with Ron. His best friend was just as interested as he was now. The Daily Prophet never wrote about ‘The Boy Who Lived’, other then in passing, since Emit and Neva had a fairly tight handle on keeping information on who Harry was away from their coworkers. Just what had it said to make Hermione call it dangerous?

“Do you think you could track down a copy of it for me?” Harry prompted. “I’d really appreciate it.” 

“Interested in The Boy Who Lived?” Zabini asked. “You share the same first name, and both of you’ve defeated You Know Who.” 

“Only our Harry is far superior,” Malfoy said, looking prideful on Harry’s behalf. “He’s defeated the Dark Lord twice now. And he’s Slytherin. Potter can just stay missing. I’d rather have Alistair.” 

Not knowing whether to be offended or flattered, Harry chuckled and got up to go get Hermione and Nott. They both had their noses in books, and it took a bit to get them up and out. But he did, and he opened presents from everyone. 

Hermione and Nott had both gotten him books, both about snakes, though Harry didn’t really open then to see what exactly about snakes. Zabini had given him a new set of Snitches, which Harry really needed after their games this afternoon. Malfoy had gotten him a pair of golden snitch cufflinks, which confused Harry, since he didn’t really wear suits. His favorite so far, aside from the box of Snitches, was the big, big tub of Mrs. Weasley’s homemade fudge that Ron brought. 

They had dinner after that, sitting around the table, and talking about the upcoming school year. Their Hogwarts letters had arrived a few days ago, so they knew what electives they would have. Malfoy and Zabini would be taking Care of Magical creatures with him, and there was a chance that he would have Diviation with Ron. Everyone was surprised to hear that Hermione had five electives in her schedule. Harry was probably going to have trouble with just the two extra classes. 

After some cake and ice cream, Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini said their farewells, and were on their way back to their own homes. Tired after the long day, Harry went to bed early. He was curious about what would come when Malfoy finally got him that paper. He knew he could try Hermione again, but by now she probably would be to focused on new books to even remember what it was. 

Harry could wait a little while to learn what the Prophet wanted with Harry Potter after all this time.


	2. What the Papers Say

Harry kept himself distracted for the next week. He hadn’t been expecting anything right away, but he had been hoping for an owl from Malfoy sooner rather then later. It would have been nice, really. 

He had been right about Hermione being to distracted. It seemed she was systematically working her way through the entirety of the Alistair library. The elves were getting into quite a fuss when she would pull several books out at a time, leaving them all over the sitting area as she read. Dizzy kept getting annoyed and popping in to shelve the ones Hermione wasn’t reading, only for Hermione to go back and pull them out again. 

Ron and Harry kept busy with flying. Skyla lent Ron her broom, and Harry helped him practice. He was planning on trying out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team this school year, to get the soon to be empty Keeper position. Harry wasn’t the best shot in the first place, but he was good enough to at least practice with. 

When a week finally passed, Harry was adjusting his bow tie before the gala. Hermione, in the first time since his birthday, didn’t have a book in hand. Instead, she was pacing as she mumbled to herself. 

“I’m not sure I can do this Harry,” she said, trying to smooth her hair down with her hand. “I’m not gala material. I don’t do fancy parties. I can’t dance. I should just go back to the library. Yes, that would be much better. The library is much safer.” 

“Hermione,” Harry said, doing his best to get her attention. “Come on. Hermione, just calm down. It’ll be fine. I mean this’ll be Ron’s third time at one of these things. And you’ll do way better then he did.” Pausing for effect, Harry added with a grin. “You’ll do better then he does.” 

“I heard that!” Ron called out from the bathroom, where he was trying and failing to fix his bow tie. 

“Doesn’t make it any less true!” Harry called back. “Really, Hermione. You’ll do fine. And if you need someone to dance with…” 

She gave him a soft smile, looking quite a bit calmer now. “Don’t hesitate to ask you?” 

“God no,” Harry snorted. “Ask Zabini or Malfoy. I’d break your feet.” 

With a laugh, Hermione smiled at him. She looked beautiful, really, in a red dress that flowed down to the floor. Harry had never seen her like this before, and it was quite the interesting change. 

When Ron finally came out, the three of them made their way back downstairs, where the party was getting started. Ron went to the buffet table first to get a snack, so Harry took Hermione out to the dance floor. He carefully took one of her hands in his, placing the other on her waist, and started through the steps he could remember. It turns out that Hermione couldn’t dance. She was just as bad as Harry, and they spent the entire song stepping on each others toes. It wasn’t all bad though. They were laughing by the end. 

“You’re both painful to watch,” Malfoy drawled as he came up to them as the next song started. “I’m afraid that I must ask if I may cut in?” 

“Oh,” Hermione said, blinking as Harry took his hand from her waist. “Oh, well, of course.” 

She held out a hand, only for Malfoy to step past her entirely, and take Harry’s hand instead. Harry had to duck his head to hide a snort. Hermione’s face, though. It was just so funny! She looked so surprised and confused. 

“Honestly, Alistair,” Malfoy drawled, as Harry took the leaded. “I don’t know how you do it. You dance so smoothly with me, yet you’ve likely bruised Granger’s entire foot. It’s hard to watch.” 

“Guess I’m only meant to dance with you,” Harry told him, giving Malfoy a grin. 

For a moment, Malfoy blinked. He looked a bit flustered, turning his head to look away and give a little huff. Harry just chuckled. 

“Cute, Alistair,” Malfoy drawled, after turning back to Harry. “I have your paper. It’s with Nott, in the garden. Along with today's.” 

“Today's paper?” 

“It’s a follow up on what was sent out a week ago. You can thank me later.” 

“I’ll thank you now,” Harry said, with a grin. As the song ended, he took a step back, giving Malfoy a bow. “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. It was a lovely dance.” 

“Of course, Alistair,” Malfoy replied, clearing his throat. “Perhaps I’ll go… show Granger how to dance.” 

Harry blinked, watching his roommate go, and wondering just what was wrong with him. The blond had been acting strange. With a shrug, deciding that if it wasn’t another cursed diary that it would be fine, Harry turned and made his way out to the garden. Nott was there, just as Malfoy had said. 

Walking over, Harry moved to speak with him, only for Nott to stand, looking casual, and carefully slide his hand into his jacket. Just before he could pass Harry, he pulled out a bundle of papers, and passed them to Harry. Before Harry could ask more, Nott was gone, heading back inside, and leaving Harry with the rolled up paper. 

Taking a seat, Harry unrolled the bundle, and looked at the front page of the older one. There was a picture of James and Lily Potter on it, moving and smiling. It was an old photo. One that Harry had seen in the album that Dorian gave him. The headline, however, was what really caught his attention. 

**_The Boy Who Lived To Go Missing?_ **

_ There have been many a great wizards and witches in the time since the grand Merlin himself, such as Albus Dumbledore, but there is one wizard that not much is known about. Harry James Potter.  _

_ The orphan son of James and Lily Potter (see photo above) is known for one particular event. At the age of fifteen months, approximately twelve years ago, Harry Potter was targeted by He Who Must Not Be Named. The dark wizard hunted the Potter’s down, and eventually found them, taking the lives of James and Lily Potter. However, when He Who Must Not Be Named went to kill Harry Potter, he failed, the boy left alive and becoming The Boy Who Lived.  _

_ For the next ten years, The Boy Who Lived would be a mystery. No one would see the boy in that time, and no one would have any idea of where to look for him. There was hope that The Boy Who Lived would return and be at Hogwarts two years ago, but he never appeared. Sources say that The Boy Who Lived was on the list of first year’s coming in, but never arrived.  _

_ Now, the Ministry is on a search for The Boy Who Lived. Will they find him, or will the young hero of the wizarding be lost forever? _

Harry couldn’t help but scowl at the paper. This was what was wrong? The Ministry was looking for him? That’s it? Still, Harry wasn’t sure he wanted to look at the next paper. If they were looking for him a week ago, and if this mornings issue was a follow up, then could it be that they found him. But Malfoy had acted so natural with him before, though Nott had acted strangely. 

Letting out a sigh, Harry set aside the old paper and unfolded the new one. At the top was some kind of mugshot. It was a man with shaggy dark hair, holding a prisoners ID plate. In the photo, he was throwing his head around, screaming at people unseen out of shot. Holding up the paper, Harry began to read. 

**_Sirius Black, Escaped_ **

_ Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, has become the first prisoner in Azkaban history to escape from his cell. It is unclear as to how Black managed this, and is currently being looked into. For the last week, Black has been eluding capture.  _

_ “We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning. “And we beg the magical community to remain calm.” _

_ When prompted for more information on why they held out on releasing this information, Fudge explained that the Ministry was more worried about Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. The Ministry believed that Sirius Black, after his escape, was going to go after the currently missing boy, as revenge for his master, He Who Must Not Be Named. It is well known that the crime Sirius Black was committed for was the betrayal of James and Lily Potter that led to their death, along with the murder of wizard Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles.  _

_ After the search for The Boy Who Lived came back empty, the Ministry started their search for Black by looking into all possible people he could go to. As the majority of Sirius Black’s school acquaintances are dead or missing, the majority of that list are possible targets.  _

_ The Daily Prophet would like to remind everyone to stay calm. The Ministry is working diligently to capture Black before anyone can be hurt.  _

This time, Harry was left shocked. Sirius Black… This was the man that had betrayed his birth parents. This was the man that caused their deaths. As much as Harry loved his new family, he couldn’t help but be angry. This man was the reason Harry was an orphan in the first place. This man was the reason Harry had to live with the Dursley’s for so, so long. 

Clenching the paper in his fists, Harry dropped his head to glare at it. The crinkled photo continued to shout and scream soundlessly. Harry wanted to scream back at it, closing his eyes as his hands began to shake. The paper had said that Black had betrayed his parents. That meant that Black had to have been close with the Potters… 

A betrayal, stabbing friends in the back… Getting them killed… The sound of ripping paper filled Harry’s ears as the paper in his hand was torn in half. He let go of the pages, the paper falling to the grass. He wasn’t sure what to do, what to say, as he sat with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. 

It was easy to understand why his parents hid this from him. Just reading about it made him angry. He wanted to find Black and drag him back to Azkaban himself. Or maybe not take him back to Azkaban… Maybe do something… else… 

Standing, Harry picked up the paper and took it into the house. He tossed the papers into the fireplace as he passed, making sure no one was around to see. For now, he would just have to keep himself calm. His mother couldn’t know that he had found out what was happening. She would be far to worried. 

He stood at the edge of the dance floor, straight back as he watched the guests spin around in time with the music. For now, he would wait. What for, Harry didn’t know. But he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before things changed. 


	3. Of Dogs and Dementors

The next week was tense. 

Harry had thanked Malfoy and Nott for getting him the paper before they left the gala. He set to work looking into Sirius Black after that. When he had a moment, he explained what he had learned to Ron and Hermione. Ron didn’t seem to like the topic, and it made Hermione nervous, but Harry wanted to know more. 

They went to Diagon Alley, two days after the Gala. Harry was actually rather excited for that, since he was going to try and use the time to sneak away and find out more on Black. It would be difficult, but he was going to try. 

It didn’t actually take as much to sneak off as he had thought. Ron had to go to the pet store to get medicine for Scabbers. The rat hadn’t been doing very well recently. Hermione also wanted a pet, so they figured they’d all go together. When Harry asked his mother if he could go with Ron and Hermione, she only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She and Papa had to go to Gringotts anyway. 

“I’ll just wait outside,” Harry said, once they got to Magical Menagerie. “It’s crowded inside.” 

His two friends didn’t argue, and instead went inside. Harry, meanwhile, moved to the newspaper stand nearby. He pulled one out, to check for any information on Black, only to find that they hadn’t found anything new. With a sigh, he flipped through the paper to the sports section, only to hear a crash in the alley way. 

Turning, Harry leaned forward to peek into the nearby alley. It was dark, with only a trash barrel and a door that Harry was fairly sure led into a restaurant. The crash had come from the barrel, a furry rear end sticking out of tipped over thing. It was a dog of some kind, digging around in the trash, probably for scraps. 

Feeling a little bad for the animal, Harry ducked into one of the nearby shops. Thankfully, it was a somewhat barren tea shop. They had biscuits at the counter, and Harry bought a few, before heading back out to the alley. The dog was still there, nosing around in the spilled trash and not looking very pleased with what it had found. 

“Here boy,” Harry called, getting the dogs attention as he broke off part of the biscuit and held it out. “Come on. You’re hungry, right? I got food for you right here.” 

Slowly, the dog came out of the shadows. It sniffed at the bread for a second, before turning intelligent and sad grey eyes on him as it ate the bread out of his hand. Unable to help it, Harry carefully reached out, running a hand over the dog's head. It’s dark fur was dirty and matted, but had a lingering feel of softness that told Harry it had once been a beautiful and fluffy coat. 

“You don’t have any tags,” Harry muttered, mostly to himself, as he ran both hands along the dogs neck. It gave a big snuffle at the bag with the biscuits, and nudged it with its nose. Harry couldn’t help but laugh as he held out the rest of the first biscuit. “And you’re hungry. Though, can’t say I'm surprised. You were rooting around in the trash.” 

The dog gave a soft sort of bark, and licked at Harry’s fingers. Harry smiled and pet the dog, wondering if maybe it was lost, or if maybe his mother would let him bring it home with him. She would probably be upset he got away from Ron and Hermione, but this dog was just so sweet. It was a nice dog. A good dog. 

“Harrison James Alistair,” a stern voice called from behind him, making him jump and whirl around to find Mama scowling at him. “Step away from that thing immediately! You don’t know where it’s been!” 

“He was hungry, Mama,” Harry quickly told her. “I think he’s lost. Can’t we help him?” 

“Harry,” she sighed. “You have a kind heart, and I know you want to help, but we can’t help every stray we see. You’ve already given it food, I’m sure, but that’s all you can really do. We just won’t have time to take care of a dog. Especially when the school year starts. So why don’t you leave the rest of whatever you got it, and let's go home.” 

“You let me keep the snakes…” 

Mama gave a sigh. “The snakes can take care of themselves. A dog would need care and attention you just can’t give it.” 

Seeing that she had a point, Harry sighed, and bent down to place the bag of biscuits on the ground for the dog. It was looking up at Harry with a look he couldn’t place, and nudged at Harry’s hand. Harry bit his lip, and pushed the dog away as he got up to follow his mother back to Ron and Hermione. 

For a while, Harry was distracted by Hermione’s new cat, and they finished their shopping before heading back to the house. He distracted himself, again, with flying with Ron or going over their new school books. Their book for Care of Magical Creatures was actually a monster, and they had quite a time figuring out how to open it without their fingers being bitten off. 

Harry hadn’t forgotten Sirius Black, though. He wanted to find him, really, but he had other things to worry about now. He had gotten Hermione to duplicate the third year book Maria had sent, just in case their teacher was another hack this year. Really, they had had enough terrible defense teachers. 

The day before Russell and Maria’s wedding, though, Harry was alone in the garden with Hedwig when a russling came from the hedges. Remembering the last time something had been in the bushes, Harry was instantly on guard. He stood, his wand at the ready, and took a few steps back to give himself some room. Was it another snake? 

It wasn’t a snake at all. It was a dog. A familiar dog, with a familiar bag in its mouth. It wormed its way under the thick foliage, eventually coming to a stop in front of Harry. Its tail wagged, and it dropped the bag at Harry’s feet to give a happy bark. Jumping, Harry quickly tried to shoosh the dog. The last thing he needed was Mama thinking he found a way to bring it here after she had said no. 

“How did you even get here?” Harry asked, staring down at the dog. It was nudging and licking at his hands. “I mean… Seriously…” 

It didn’t say anything. Of course it didn’t. It was a dog. So, Harry let out a sigh and instead pet the dogs head. Since it was already here… He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to keep it. 

XxXXxX

The wedding the next day went off without a hitch. It was an elegant ceremony, with everyone in fine clothes, though Harry stuck to the back with Ron and Hermione. They would be going home the next afternoon, so Harry wanted to spend as much time with them as he could. 

The days leading up to the day he was meant to leave on the Hogwarts Express were rather exciting ones. Harry took care of the dog that had followed him home from Diagon Alley, sneaking bits of his lunch out to him. He had also given the dog a bath. Three, actually. Harry wasn’t sure if the dog was doing it on purpose, but he kept rolling in the dirt by the pond whenever Harry said the word bath. 

When September first came, Harry left a bit of extra food from their family breakfast outside the hedge, and said goodbye to the dog. It didn’t try to stop him this time, instead just sitting outside the hedges and watching Harry through the leaves. It was odd, but Harry didn’t think too much on it, and just followed his parents to Kings Cross. 

They were a bit late, and waved goodbye to their parents from the door onto the train. Once they were rolling, they set off down the cars, looking for an empty compartment. They eventually found one that only had one person in it. It was a man, dressed in old robes, and looking quite ill. He was sleeping by the window. 

“Weird,” Harry whispered as he sat down, by the door rather then by the window. “There usually aren’t adults on the train.” 

“Who do you think he is?” Ron asked in a low hiss, taking his own seat as far from the man as possible. 

Hermione was replying at once. “Professor R. J. Lupin.” 

Both Harry and Ron turned to her in surprise. “How could you know that?” 

“It’s on his case,” she said, pointing up to the luggage rack. “He’s obviously the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.” 

“Well I hope he’s up to it,” Ron huffed. “He looks like one good hex will kill him. Right, Harry?” 

Harry wasn’t sure why, but he was frowning at the man. He looked oddly familiar. Like Harry had seen him briefly a few times. And Lupin… That name sounded so familiar… While Ron and Hermione were talking about Hogsmeade, Harry was trying to place where he’d seen that man. 

Hours passed quickly, the window growing dark and cold rain began to fall. Harry had joined in on Ron and Hermione’s conversation about Hogsmeade, mentioning Quinn’s shop. He had been a few times, and really liked the mini tart pies that Quinn made there. He had the strangest feeling that he was going to get a little fat this year. 

Hester and Milla, Quinn’s twin children, would be starting Hogwarts this year. They were both very smart, a bit like the Weasley twins, but in more of a devilish way then a funny way. The two liked to pull pranks on each other, teasing and fighting in a way only twins could. Harry wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. 

With a rattle, the train started to slow, though Professor Lupin didn’t do much more then snort. The overhead lights flickered, a strange wind whistling outside. 

“We can’t be there yet,” Hermione said, glancing down at her watch. “It’s too soon.” 

“Then why are we stopping?” Ron asked, frowning at her. 

Rain pounded on the windows now, and Harry leaned forward to look out into the hallway. Head were poking out of compartments, looking around in surprise just like Harry was. He could see a few people he recognized, like Malfoy and Skyla. With a jolt, the train finally came to a full stop, and without warning, the lights went out, plunging them into complete darkness. 

There were sounds of confused chatter coming from the all through the car. Ron was getting up to try and look out the foggy window, as Harry tried to find his wand. He could use a Lumos to give themselves a bit of light. 

“Ow!” Hermione hissed, when Ron tried to get back to his seat. “That’s my foot!” 

“Sorry,” Ron said quickly. 

There was a creak as the compartment door opened, someone coming in and tripping over Harry’s legs. 

“Who’s there?” Harry called. 

“Alistair?” a familiar voice said. 

“Malfoy?” 

“What are you doing?” 

“I was looking for Blaise.” 

“Well you aren’t going to find him like this. You might as well sit down.” 

There was a rustle of Malfoy trying to get into a seat, only for Hermione’s cat to let out a yowl. Malfoy had tried to sit on him. 

“Careful,” Hermione said, probably as Crookshanks jumped into her lap. 

“I didn’t mean to sit on whatever that was.” 

“Ouch!” Harry yelped. “Watch your boney elbows! That hurt!” 

“Quiet!” a hoarse voice cut through the noise, making them all stop. Professor Lupin was awake. 

There was a soft muttering of Lumos, and the tip of the wand in the Professor’s hand was lit with light. It cast a shadowy glow around the room, lighting up the man's tired but alert face. Slowly, he got to his feet. 

“Stay where you are,” he said, moving toward the door. 

Only, the door was opening before Lupin could reach it. The light of the Lumos lit up a cloaked figure, dark and tall with a hood pulled to cover their face. Harry’s eyes weren’t on their face, though. His eyes were on the bony hand that was at the rim of the door. It was gray and scabbed, like it was something that had died and decayed underwater. 

As if sensing Harry’s eyes, the hand was pulled under the sleeve of the cloak. Then, the thing was drawing a long and slow breath, a wheezing sound like wind rattling bones. The compartment grew cold, chills spreading deep into Harry’s skin. The cold sank into his chest, into his heart, as a terrible scream filled his ears. 

“ _ Harry! _ ” 

With a gasp, Harry jerked to awareness. His body was cold, arms heavy, as the floor shook beneath him. The train was moving again, the lights turned on once more, as everyone in the compartment crowded around him, staring down at him. He felt sick, and he could feel cold sweat dripping down his forehead. 

Slowly, Ron and Hermione lifted him up to his seat. His stomach lurched as he placed on the cushion. His two best friends were looking at him with wide eyed concern, as Malfoy and Lupin were watching. Though, Malfoy did look more panicked then Lupin. 

“Are you okay?” Ron asked, his voice shaking with nervousness. 

“Yeah,” Harry said, even as his stomach churned uneasily. “What… happened? Who screamed?” 

“Harry,” Hermione said, reaching out to gently touch his shoulder. “No one screamed.” 

“But I heard-” 

“Nothing but a memory,” a hoarse voice said, making Malfoy jump as Lupin pulled a few chocolate bars from his coat pocket. “Here. Eat this. It’ll help.” 

WIth a shaky hand, Harry took one of the bars, frowning at it as his head swam. “What… was that thing? And what do you mean a memory?” 

“A dementor. They feed on your happiness, draining it until all that’s left is your darkest memory.” The man shook his head. “Eat. It will help. I need to speak to the driver. If you’d excuse me…” 

Harry watched the man stride past him, waiting until he was out of sight before opening the chocolate bar. He was surprised to find that it did help. Warmth spread through him, little by little, with each bite. He didn’t feel up to asking questions, though. And his friends didn’t seem up for it either. Even Malfoy just returned to his seat, staring straight ahead as he ate the chocolate.


	4. A Quidditch Promotion

Harry would never admit it aloud, but he felt safer, riding to Hogwarts in a carriage with Lupin. He sat between Malfoy and the professor, with Ron and Hermione across from him. After his chocolate, he felt better, but still very weak. His friends had had to help him up to his seat, and help him again when they reached the castle. 

Much to his surprise, Snape was waiting on the steps up to the castle, Zabini and Nott beside him. He did not look pleased. 

“Alistair,” he snapped, stalking toward Harry as Ron and Malfoy helped Harry down. “I have just learned that you  _ fainted  _ on the train. What is the meaning of this?” 

“It was the Dementor,” Lupin said as he hopped down, sounding tense and wary. “Harry had a bit of a bad reaction. Just needs to go up to the hospital wing for some more chocolate and a bit of pepper-up.” 

“Remus Lupin,” Snape snarled. “You would do well to keep out of the affairs of Slytherin House. I will be escorting Alistair to the hospital wing myself.” 

“Thank you Professor,” Harry tried. “But… I’d really just like to go to my room and sleep.” 

“You will go to the hospital wing,” Snape said, leaving no room for argument. “I needed to speak with you anyway.” 

Wincing, Harry waved goodbye to his friends, and followed Snape up the steps towards the hospital wing. His Head of House didn’t say anything, even though he had said they needed to talk. He just had Harry sit on one of the cots while Madam Pomfrey bustled around. 

“I’m fine,” Harry tried. “I really don’t need anything.” 

With a disapproving click of her tongue, Madam Pomfrey shook her head. “You won’t be the last one who collapses. Setting Dementors around a school. Honestly! Terrible things, they are. And they always affect the most delicate people the most.” 

“I’m not delicate,” Harry snips, scowling at the professor. “Can I just have whatever so I can go? I’m tired.” 

“You’ll need some chocolate,” Madam Pomfrey said. “At the very least.” 

“I’ve already had some. Professor Lupin gave me some on the train. And everyone else in our compartment.” 

“Did he now?” For the first time, Madam Pomfrey actually sounded rather… approving. Snape, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to punch something. “So we’ve finally gotten a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?” 

“Will that be all?” Snape asked, scowling. “I’m sure Alistair can get some more chocolate at the feast.” 

“I suppose he can,” Madam Pomfrey said, but narrowed her eyes at Harry and waggled a finger at him. “But if you ever start feeling sad and chilly again, come and see me for some extra dark chocolate. Understand?” 

Deciding that it would be better to not remind her that his dorm was in the dungeons and under the lake, Harry quickly nodded. She only frowned at him and went back to her office. Harry was going to count it as a win, though, and turned to Snape. 

“You wanted to speak with me, Sir?” 

“Indeed,” Snape drawled. “As I’m sure you are aware, Marcus Flint failed to pass a single NEWT last year and has returned to repeat his seventh year at Hogwarts. However, I do not like to reward bad behavior, and will be removing Flint from the Slytherin Quidditch team.” 

“Oh,” Harry said, frowning in thought. “Well, then, who’s going to be Captain?” 

Snape simply looked at him. Harry blinked. He looked around, then back at Snape, confused. 

“Wait… Sir, you can’t possibly mean me. I’m just a third year!” 

“Yes,” Snape sighed. “And while you may only be a third year, you are currently the only one who has been on the team for more then a year. Not only that, but you are also the only one on the team who has experience doing Captain esc tasks. Such as picking new members? Thinking of strategies and helping teach those strategies to the team?” 

Harry ran a hand through his hair, trying to think hard. He had gotten Hermione’s help making a schedule for studying and Quidditch, since he had had a feeling he would need the extra help with time management this year, but if he was going to be Quidditch Captain? He’d have to move a few more things around. It wouldn’t be impossible, but he was going to be very busy…

“Okay,” Harry said, taking a deep breath. “Did Flint leave any files on the team?” 

“No,” Snape said, sounding very displeased. “Flint did not keep records on the team. I only hope that you will do better. Now, you better be off to the feast. Your niece and nephew have likely been sorted by now.” 

With a nod, Harry quickly stood, and hurried back toward the Great Hall. He wasn’t really hungry, but he needed to talk with the Slytherin Quidditch Team sooner rather then later. Not only that, but he had to go see Hagrid, and then tell Vissilassa that he was back… And maybe come up with a nickname to call the basilisk, because damn! That was a mouth full… 

By the time they got back to the Great Hall, the sorting had already ended. Harry could see Milla and Hester off at the Gryffindor table, already chatting excitedly with the Weasley twins. As much as Harry felt he should go and put a stop to it, he just went to find his seat at the Slytherin table. The others were already there, and looked up as soon as he sat down. 

“Welcome!” Dumbledore called before Harry could say anything. “Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feat.

“As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban. They are here on Ministry of Magic business, and are stationed at every entrance to the grounds. And while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises. Or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors.

“On a happier note,” Dumbledore said after a pause, “I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year! First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” 

There was a rather unenthused round of applause. There had been so many Defense teachers over the years, and most of them had been less then impressive. Only Harry, Hermione, and Ron really clapped, already knowing that Lupin was going to be better then their last two teachers. Especially Lockhart. Malfoy was clapping to, but not as loudly as Harry. 

Snape, on the other hand, wasn’t clapping at all. He was leaned forward to stare down the table to where Lupin was standing to wave at the students. While it was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense position, Harry had never seen the expression twisting his teachers face. It was beyond anger or hatred. It was loathing. Even back at the beginning of first year, Harry had never seen a look that intense on Snapes face. 

“As to our second new appointment,” Dumbledore continued once the dull applause for Lupin died away. “Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job, in addition to his gamekeeping duties.” 

After a moment of paused surprise, the room erupted into applause. The loudest people were coming from the Gryffindor table, but Ron and Harry would also cheering. Hagrid was going to be a  _ perfect _ Care of Magical Creatures teacher! The man knew more about beasts then anyone! Not to mention, all the creatures that Hagrid already took care of and knew how to control. Maybe they would get to see the gentler side of Fluffy? 

Though, Harry is surprised he didn’t figure it out sooner. Who else would assign a book that would bite?

And with that, the feast began. Harry piled his plate with warm food to heat his cold bones. 

“What did Snape want?” Malfoy asked, once they had started eating. 

“Oh yeah,” Harry sighed. “Flint’s been kicked off the Quidditch team for not graduating. Said it’s punishment for bad behavior.” 

“No wonder he looked so angry when I saw him. Who’s Captain, then?” 

Harry stared blankly at Malfoy. 

“No,” Malfoy gasped, when he finally got it. “No! You’re the new Quidditch Captain?” 

“Yeah,” Harry sighed. “It’s not like I don’t already have enough on my plate. The two extra classes were already going to be hard enough with Quidditch practice and Vissilassa in you know where. Now I actually have to plan the strategies and practices? I’m not going to have much free time.” 

For a moment, Malfoy looked confused. “Visil-what? Is that a Parseltongue word?” 

“No. It’s…” Glancing around the table, Harry leaned forward to whisper. “The basilisk, remember? In the Chamber?” 

“Oh! You… I forgot… You made a deal with it-” 

“Her.” 

“-with  _ her _ … You aren’t really going to go back down there, are you?” 

“Of course I am,” Harry huffed, sitting back in his seat. “I set her up with Hagrid, so he could take care of her, but I bet he’s been spoiling her rotten. Besides, I promised her I would come back to see her. She’s probably lonely, not able to talk to anyone but Hagrid. And he can’t even understand her.” 

Malfoy seemed to let it go, so Harry instead finished his dinner. He got some chocolate pudding with desert, just so Pomfrey wouldn’t come after him later, and stretched when he finally got up. He went with the Slytherin’s down to the dungeons, and got Malfoy’s help gathering all the Quidditch team up. Flint was scowling and hovering in the background, glaring at Harry like it was his fault Flint was kicked off the team. 

Others were lurking in the common room to hear Harry explain what Snape had said. Over all, the team didn’t seem displeased to hear that Harry was team captain. In fact, most of them seemed pleased. Jane Sparrow, the Keeper Harry had chosen for the team last year, actually gave a cheer. 

As much as Harry wished that their team stayed, Peregrine Derrick came up to him after his announcement to tell him he was leaving the team. 

“I didn’t do well on my OWL’s last year,” Derrick explained. “Quidditch just took up too much of my time. I already told Snape, and he helped me arrange to take a retest in December, so I can get into the NEWT classes I need-” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said. “I can try and get Bole back. I was going to see about getting Pucey to come back to take Flint’s place anyway. We’ll miss you, Derrick. But we’ll be fine.” 

“Get us that cup, Alistair,” Derrick said, giving Harry a thankful nod before heading off to bed. 

Harry stayed up a while longer, pulling Adrian Pucey and Lucian Bole aside to see if they had any interest in coming back to the team. With Flint gone, they were more then happy to join up again. And with that, Harry was finished with his work as Quidditch Captain for today. Which just left Vissilassa on his list of things to do. 

Heading to his dorm room, Harry yawned as he got changed for bed. This was his first first day that he hadn’t gone to bed early, though he guessed fainting on the train sort of counted towards sleeping early? But he just had so much to do. He wouldn’t get a chance to really sleep for at least a few more hours. 

Rubbing at his eyes, Harry did his best to stay awake as his roommates went to sleep. Once he head the heavy snores of Crabbe and Goyle, and Nott’s book was set aside, Harry carefully stepped into his slippers, and grabbed his invisibility cloak. He hissed when be stubbed is toe on the edge of his trunk on his way to the door. 

“Alistair?” Malfoy said as he groggily sat up, thankfully the only one to do so. “Where are you going?...” 

“To the Chamber,” Harry said. He knew he could ask Malfoy to not say anything, to keep quiet about him sneaking out. Only… the exact opposite came out. “Want to come with me?” 

For a moment, it was silent. Harry expected Malfoy to call him crazy, and just go back to bed. Instead, the blond stepped into his slippers and grabbed his robe as he made his way to Harry. “How are we getting there?” 

Harry couldn’t help it. He grinned, wide. 


	5. Dementors and Defense

Malfoy was fascinated by the invisibility cloak. He kept feeling it in his hands as they hid under it and made their way out of the dungeons. Harry thought it was adorable. 

“Where did you get this?” Malfoy asked, wide eyed and voice filled with wonder as Harry led him outside to the grounds. 

“It was my father’s,” Harry said, stopping out by the lake, where they would need to get into the boathouse and lift a few loose floorboards to get into a tunnel. 

“I didn’t know Gerald Alistair had an invisibility cloak,” the blond commented, as Harry pulled up the loose boards. 

“That’s what Ron said when I got it, but no. Not Papa. I meant, er, my  _ birth _ father.” 

“Oh,” Malfoy breathed, dropping into the hole with Harry. “I didn’t… I forget. That you’re adopted.” 

Harry simply shrugged, leading Malfoy down the dark tunnel he had found just a few months before. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but he would if Malfoy pressed. And he did. 

“Did you know your father well?” Malfoy asked as they walked down the dark tunnel. “You’re birth father, I mean.” 

“No,” Harry said slowly. “They died when Voldemort-” Malfoy jumped “-was still in power. I was a baby. So I got sent to my mothers muggle sister.” 

“So how did you get the cloak?” 

“It appeared with my presents first year with a note saying whoever sent it had borrowed it from my father. They didn’t sign their name, but I'm guessing it was Dumbledore.” 

“Dumbledore knew your parents?” 

“Yes, Malfoy,” Harry said, doing his best to not grit his teeth. “I don’t know how, or why, but they knew him. Can we stay focused? We’re almost to the Chamber.” 

Malfoy fell quiet, and Harry let out a sigh as they made their way deep into the Chamber. Eventually, they enter the large room, and Harry is actually impressed. Hagrid had apparently cleaned the place up over the summer. They floors looked shined and polished, and old silver chandeliers had been hung from the high ceiling with chains. A table had been brought in, and judging by the tools that sat by a pillar, had also built in the Chamber. 

Vissilassa was curled at the foot of the statue, where a pile of what looked to be large handmade pillows and blankets were bundled together in the vague shape of a nest. Beside the nest of blankets was a massive basin, at least three feet tall, and as big as a pool. Harry thought it was actually sort of cute. A giant serpent, curled up on a nest of blankets like a princess beside her personal pool? You don’t see that every day. 

“ _ Vissilassa, _ ” Harry hissed, waking the basilisk from her sleep. 

She lifted her head, hissing softly, tongue flicking out as she tasted the air. “ _ Speaker Harry… You have returned. _ ” 

“ _ I have. Hagrid has been taking good care of you, I see. _ ” 

“ _ The large human has been… helpful. But I have been within the Chamber for a very, very long time. As friendly and talkative as the large one is, there is no conversation between us. He can not understand me, and I must work far to hard to decipher his endless ramblings. _ ” 

“What’s it saying?” Malfoy whispered, half hidden behind Harry. 

“She’s glad I’m back,” Harry explained, and stepped aside to push Malfoy forward. “ _ Vissilassa, you remember my friend, Draco Malfoy. _ ” 

“ _ Indeed, _ ” Vissilassa hissed, moving forward to slowly twirl around them. “ _ Yes, I remember him. I enjoyed the pretty blond much more then the red girl. He had such an exotic accent.”  _

Harry couldn’t help the snort that came out. The basilisk thought Malfoy was pretty. 

“What did she say?” Malfoy practically squeaked, wide eyed and panicked. He looked like he was going to jump out of his skin when Vissilassa pressed her snout against his stomach. “Wh-What is she doing?” 

“She likes you,” Harry chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’s not going to hurt you.” 

Malfoy gave a small nervous laugh, and carefully reached out to run his hand over the scales of Vissilassa’s head. She made a pleased sound, nudging Malfoy again. 

“ _ I like this one _ ,” she said. “ _ You will bring him to see me again, Speaker Harry. _ ” 

“ _ If you say so, Vissilassa, _ ” Harry said. “ _ But we should be going. We have a long day tomorrow. _ ” 

“ _ Of course. And please. Vissilassa is so formal. You and the pretty one may all me Sila. _ ” 

Harry chuckled, and waited for Vissilassa- for Sila to leave Malfoy alone, and return to her nest of blankets and pillows. Malfoy was looking vaguely traumatized, so Harry started leading him back through the pipe and toward the exit. He was starting to think that that having Malfoy come with him might not have been the best idea. After all, he had had quite an experience in this Chamber just a few months ago. 

“Sorry about her,” Harry said as they walked down the pipe. “She’s been down here alone for so long, I guess she doesn’t really understand people. And Hagrid being the only one she saw over the summer probably didn’t help. Are you going to be okay?” 

“I’ll be fine,” Malfoy said, voice tense. “She’s won’t kill anyone, will she? Vissilassa?” 

“No,” Harry promises. “She won’t. And she said to call her Sila.” 

With a sigh of relief, Malfoy ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down. “Thank you, Alistair. I think I actually needed that. Perhaps I’ll come with you again.” 

“Of course. But… Really, we’ve known each other for three years now. We may have started on the wrong food, but we’ve come a long way. I think of you as my friend now, especially after last year, and my friends don’t call me by my last name. So call me Harry.” 

For a moment, Malfoy seemed to hesitate. Harry wasn’t sure why, but the blond Slytherin looked unsure and uncomfortable, but eventually nodded. “Only if you call me Draco.” 

Harry grinned, giving the other boy a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Sure thing, Draco.” 

XxXXxX

Harry was tired when he finally got up the next morning. He and Draco hadn’t gotten to bed until well after midnight, and they both barely got more then five hours of sleep. Both of them were practically nodding their way through their morning classes of Charms and Herbology. Marissa thought it was hilarious, and kept elbowing him whenever he would start to nod off. 

After lunch, they had Potions, and Harry was starting to feel more awake by then. He paired with Hermione, as always, though they were at the table next to Draco and Zabini, rather then the table on the other side of the room. Snape was the same as he always was, instantly throwing them into making a Shrinking Solution. Once they had finished, they all bottled up their potions and went to their next classes. 

With that, Harry was heading up to the Defense room with the rest of the Slytherin’s. When they got there, Lupin wasn’t in the room, so they all got out their books and took a seat. They weren’t really holding out hope that this professor was going to be better, but Harry had a feeling he wasn’t going to be needing Maria’s books this year. 

“Good afternoon,” Lupin said, as he entered the room. “Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands.” 

Once they had put their things back in there bags, Lupin led them out of the classroom. They went down the empty hallway, turning around a corner and leading them to the staffroom door. He opened it, and motioned them inside. It looked about the same as Harry had seen it last year, only this time, Snape was leaning back in a low armchair. 

Lupin didn’t stop to talk with Snape, or even acknowledge him. Harry found this odd, and gave his head of house a nod. Snape didn’t return it, instead staying focused on scowling at Lupin. There was something between the two, a history that wasn’t common knowledge. Harry was actually very interested in that. If the two knew each other in school, then Lupin might know Harry’s birth parents. 

It would explain why Lupin seemed so familiar. He could have seen a picture of Lupin as a kid in the photo album Dorian gave him years ago. Hell, he could have even read the name somewhere in it. A lot of the photos had labels under them. And now that Harry was thinking about it, Sirius Black could be in that album… 

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Harry turned his attention back to Lupin. They were standing in front of an old wardrobe. When Lupin went to stand next to it, it gave a sudden shake, banging on the wall. 

“Nothing to worry about,” Lupin said, very calm. The Slytherin’s weren’t, but they pretended they were. They still remembered Lockhart’s first day… “There’s a Boggart in there. They like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, gaps beneath beds, cupboards under sinks. I’ve even seen one that lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, so I asked the Headmaster if the staff would leave it to use in our lesson today. So, our first question we must answer is what is a Boggart?” 

No one raised their hand, or moved to answer, so Harry raised his hand. He’d already read the first few sections of Maria’s Third Year book, so he’d already gone through the Boggart section. Since he was the only one with his hand up, Lupin gave him a nod to speak. 

“They’re creatures that turn into what someone fears most,” Harry explained. 

“Very good, Harry,” Lupin said. First name? Okay, that was a little odd. “So right now, the Boggart in the darkness doesn’t have a form yet. He doesn't know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. No one knows what Boggarts look like alone, but when I let this one out, it will immediately become whatever each of us fears most. This means we have a huge advantage over the Boggart. Blaise, can you tell me what it is?” 

To Harry’s left, Zabini blinked. “It can’t scare us all with the same shape?” 

“Almost. It’s best to face a Boggart with company, since it will confuse it. Should it become a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I saw a Boggart make that mistake once. Tried to frighten two people at once and became half a slug. Unpleasant, but not remotely frightening.

“The charm for repelling a Boggart is simple, but requires force of mind. The thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. The incantation is ‘Riddikulus’. Practice it without wands, first. After me, please. ‘Riddikulus’!” 

The class repeated it, though not with very much enthusiasm. He called forward Parkinson to go first, having her stand just in front of everyone. 

“Alright, Pansy. Are you ready?” 

With a huff, Pansy shot Lupin a look. Then, Lupin opened the wardrobe. For a moment, nothing came out. Just when Harry was sure the Lupin had been wrong, and there was no Boggart, a gnarled hand with claw like nails reached out of the wardrobe. It wrapped around the edge, pulling, until a wrinkled woman with a snarling face stepped out. The woman slowly walked forward, sneering as she reached her clawed hand out to touch Parkinson’s face. 

“Riddikulus!” She shrieked. 

The withered woman twisted, a bib forming around her neck and a bonnet on her head. A pacifier appeared in her mouth, with a babies rattle in her hand. The wrinkled old hag looked like a senior citizen who needed adult diapers, and even Harry couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Form a line!” Lupin called. “Keep it moving!” 

Parkinson moved to the back of the room, the next student stepping forward. There were banshees and mummies, and other scary creatures. Nott’s Boggart was even a shrieking fiery thing that had its flames put out, and go into a embarrassed ‘Oh gosh, I’m naked’ pose. Harry laughed and watched from the end of the line, just behind Draco. 

When it was Draco’s turn, Harry was worried about what would come. Would it be Tom Riddle? The Diary? The end of last year had been quite traumatising for Draco, after all. Only, it wasn’t Tom, or the diary, but a massive, scaly shape that towered over them. Harry saw Draco quickly look away as the big yellow eyes stared down at them, a low and dangerous hiss leaving it. Quickly, Harry reached out, and put a reassuring hand on Draco’s shoulder. 

“Riddikulus!” Draco called, pointing his wand but not able to look. 

The Basilisk-Boggart changed. Dark and shadowy scales morphed to a bright and cheery green, and big yellow eyes smoothed over into darkness. Sharp edges of the snakes face smoothed into soft curves that made the basilisks face seem more like a puppy with the tip of the tongue poking out. 

Next it was Harry’s turn, and he stepped forward to take his turn. The Boggart was swirling, going round and round as it tried to find a form to take. He wasn’t sure what it could be, but his best guess was- 

With a crack, the Boggart changed from the soft version of Sila into a dark cloaked figure with a bony hand. Harry stared, wide eyed, as the memories of a woman’s scream filled his ears. The screaming… Oh god, the screams! Make them stop, make them stop! 

“Harrison!” Someone snapped, turning Harry around quickly. “Harrison, it isn’t real! Whatever you’re seeing, whatever you’re hearing, it’s not real.” 

Harry stared, eyes wide as he tried to control his breathing. Snape was kneeling in front of him, to put himself at eye level, and shaking him. Blinking, Harry tried to get control of his breathing. His chest hurt, and he wanted his mother desperately. He wanted to go home. 

“Come,” Snape said, as he stood, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder and starting to lead him away. “I’m excusing you from your next class.” 

He didn’t argue, or even glance over his shoulder. Harry simply followed his teacher out of the staffroom. 


	6. Hogsmeade

Harry missed out on his Care of Magical Creatures class that afternoon. He was a little sad that he did, but he needed the break. Instead, he got to sit in on Snape’s first year Potions class. It was actually quite nice, helping the young Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs brew their potions, and maybe ease their worries about Snape’s dark deminer. 

When classes were over, Harry made his way back to the Great Hall to meet with Ron and Hermione. Since Hermione was supposed to have Care with him, she probably would have heard about what happened from Draco or Zabini. And sure enough, as soon as she spotted him, she was charging him, throwing her arms around his shoulders. She came at him so fast, Harry nearly fell over. 

“Oh, Harry!” she gasped. “I was so worried! Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine,” Harry told her, carefully patting her back. “Really, Hermione. I just needed a break. How was the first day of Care of Magical Creatures?” 

“Hagrid is doing a very good job,” Hermione said, smiling softly as she took a step back. “We’re starting with Hippogryphs. They’re quite fascinating, really, and we got to pet them. Though, a few of the Slytherin’s didn’t participate…” 

Harry winced. “Let me guess… Malfoy, Zabini, and Nott?” 

Hermione blinked, then seemed to realize something. “Oh, yes… That makes sense. They are your friends, aren’t they?” 

“Can’t be very close if Harry’s calling them by their last names,” Ron cut in. 

“Zabini and Nott haven’t asked me to. Draco did yesterday, but I forget sometimes.” With a shrug, Harry followed Ron and hermione out to the courtyard. It may have been their first day back, but a lot of their teachers had seen fit to give them all homework anyway. 

When Harry saw the other Slytherin’s, he apologized, but they didn’t seem that interested. Zabini just seemed to be glad he was alright, though Draco kept scowling at him. He’d try again later. 

XxXXxX

Over the next few weeks, Harry found that Defense and Care of Magical Creatures were quickly becoming his favorite classes. Lupin was, by far, the most experienced Defense teacher they ever had, and Hagrid was a very hands on sort of teacher. He was always bringing in live animals for their classes, and most of them her domesticated enough that they could pet them. Harry even went back one day to catch up on the Hippogryph lesson he had missed the first day. 

Divination was definitely not Harry’s favorite class. It was almost as boring at Binn’s history class, and Professor Trelawney was absolutely mad. She said Harry’s birthday was in mid winter, said his tea drags were a Grim, and that he would die. The only real upside to the class was that Ron was also in it with him. 

Things in their little group weren’t exactly going smoothly, though. Every time they went to the courtyard to study together, Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, would come and attack Ron's bag or pocket to get at Scabbers. It was putting a strain on their group dynamic, and Ron started to refuse to come and study with them. Harry felt kind of bad, because he knew how much Scabbers meant to Ron, but he thought Ron was overreacting, just a little. Crookshanks was a cat. 

By October, Harry was spending his study time alone, out on the grounds where Ron refused to go, and where Hermione was too frustrated to focus. He was actually a bit lonely, sitting out by the lake and skipping rocks when he finished his homework or had completed a strategy for Quidditch. It was difficult to see Ron and Hermione fight, but when they did, he just had to distance himself before they started asking him to pick sides. 

“I wish they'd just talk it out,” Harry sighed to himself. 

“Bwoof!” 

Harry blinked, stopping for a second. He had to take a second to try and process that sound. Because it sounded like a dog. And the only dog on the grounds was Fang, who was nowhere near Harry right now. Slowly, Harry turned around, blinking as he found the black dog he'd been taking care of sitting behind him. It's fur was a little dirty again, but it was unmistakably the dog Harry had been referring to as Snuffles. 

“What the hell?” Harry breathed, kneeling down to let the dog come up to him. “How did you get here? How did you even find me?” 

The dog let out another bark, wagging his tail. How the dog had found him, or gotten past the Dementor's, Harry didn't know. Maybe Dementor's didn't affect animals as much? Either way, Harry found himself sitting by the lake, Snuffles laying next to him. He rambled about everything, happy to have someone to confide in again. After all, he couldn't really complain about Hermione and Ron fighting to Ron and Hermione. And Draco and Sila were entirely uninterested in that sort of thing, though for different reasons. 

“It’s not Hermione's fault that Crookshanks goes after Scabbers,” Harry fight, running a hand over Snuffles soft head. “It's only natural that cats go after rats.” 

Snuffles made a noise that Harry took as agreement. 

“Though Hermione could do a better job keeping Crookshanks under control…” 

“Alistair?” Draco's voice suddenly called from behind. “What on Earth are you doing out here? It's freezing!” 

Harry blinked, leaning back to look up at Draco, who was now standing behind him, looking down at him with disapproval. And confusion. 

“Draco,” Harry said, grinning as Snuffles pushed himself up to his paws. “Sorry, I got distracted after coming back from the Chamber. My dog sort of just showed up.” 

“You're dog?” Draco asked, eyeing Snuffles as the dog gave a loud affirmative of a bark. “It looks more like a Grin to me… And since when do you have a dog?” 

“I found him in Diagon Alley. He's a stray, but he followed me home. So I sort of… took him in without my parents permission? He's a good dog, smart too. Followed me all the way here, I bet.” 

Snuffles gave another bark, tail wagging as he spun in a proud looking circle. Harry thought it was great, really, but Draco didn't look that convinced. Actually, he looked quite suspicious. 

“You're sure it's just a dog?” Draco asked. “And not some person in Animagus form? There are quite a few people who would love to get Alistair family secrets.” 

Harry laughed. “Snuffles is just a dog. He probably had an owner before, and got attached when I fed him. He's a good boy. Isn't that right, Snuffles?” 

Snuffles gave another bark, and bounced excitedly on the ground. Harry chuckled, giving the dog some more head scratches before getting up. It was getting rather cold, and dinner was probably soon. He'd need to hurry if he wanted to eat. 

“I’ll bring you some food later,” Harry told Snuffles as he made his way back to the castle with Draco. 

XxXXxX

For the next few weeks, Harry was busier then ever. As Halloween grew closer, and with it, the Quidditch season, Harry’s days were split rather evenly between his list of tasks. With Quidditch, classes, Sila,Ron and Hermione’s almost constant fighting, and now Snuffles, Harry was running back and forth more then he ever had. He spent a lot of time outside, which was great, but it was getting cold. He had to start studying out near the pitch, where he could do his homework and take care of Snuffles at the same time, while still being close enough to get to Quidditch practice on time. 

Ron and Hermione joined him, some days. Those days were sometimes the worst and sometimes the best. Harry would get to be with his two best friends, just doing what they do, and every now and then, Hermione would bring Crookshanks with her. Ron never liked those days, but had started keeping Scabbers locked in his dorm. Snuffles seemed to like it though. He would sit and bark at Crookshanks, who would strangely sit and meow back at him. 

“It’s good to be together like this,” Harry said as he sat with Ron and Hermione the Sunday morning of Halloween. “I’m glad you two aren’t fighting today. I’ve really missed this.” 

“We only fight because Hermione’s demon cat keeps trying to eat Scabbers,” Ron countered, making Harry regret his statement. 

“He’s a rat, Ron,” Hermione snapped. “Cat’s eat rats. Crookshanks is just a hunter by nature.” 

As if to prove Hermione’s point, Crookshanks let out loud meow, his bushy tail swishing. Harry sighed. He hadn’t meant to get them all riled up again. Now, instead of wanting them to hang out, Harry just wanted to leave… 

“I’m heading back to the castle,” Harry said, getting up. “I told the guys that I would go to Hogsmeade with them.” 

“Oh, come on Harry,” Ron whined. “We were going to go with you! Wanted to go to Zonke's, and Honeydukes, and-” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m just going to get Milla and Hester some stuff from Quinn’s. I’m just going to get them some stuff so they don’t get to homesick.” 

Ron and Hermione didn’t argue, so Harry just went back up to the castle after giving Snuffles head a scratch. He met up with the other Slytherin boys in the courtyard. They had all turned in their slips the night before, so once he got there, he and the other boys were on their way. It was all the Slytherin boys in third year, so even Crabbe and Goyle were coming with, though they probably would have gone anyway. 

Aside from going by the Dementors, the walk to Hogsmeade was a rather peaceful one, with Harry talking with the more conversational of his roommates and leading the way through the village to the bakery. He had only been to Quinn’s a few times, and usually for not very long. But his brother smiled when he came in, letting him and his housemates into the back while he got the boxes ready. There was one for Milla and Hester, a small box with all their favorites in it, and a larger share box that was for Harry and his friends. 

They didn’t stay long. Soon after they entered, the shop was filled with students wanting to buy treats. Harry carried the boxes, since he didn’t trust Crabbe or Goyle with them. The two had also bought their own boxes, which they had nearly finished by the time they got back to the castle. Giving the large box to Draco and Zabini, Harry went around the castle in search of his younger cousins, to deliver the gift from their father. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised to find them sitting in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom with a large, blank piece of parchment. 

“Planning a prank?” Harry said, coming up beside them. 

Together, the two of them jumped, picking up the page and quickly hiding it. “No,” they said together, definitely lying. 

“Don’t worry,” Harry said, moving to place the box on Milla’s lap. “As long as you two aren’t caught, I won't tell. This is from your dad.” 

“Perfect!” Hester said, grinning. “Just what we needed!” 

“Snacks to keep us going,” Milla agreed, giggling as she flipped open the box and pulled out a mini pie. “Thank you, Harry.” 

“No problem.” Harry chuckled, glancing at his watch. “It’s nearly noon. Don’t eat all of those, or you’ll ruin your appetite.” 

“We won’t,” Milla said, even as she picked up a second pastry. 

“We’ll head to lunch now,” Hester said through a mouthful of his third. 

Shaking his head, Harry started back out of Myrtle’s bathroom. He was sure that Milla and Hester wouldn’t be leaving there project any time soon. They got so worked up in their pranks, wanting nothing more then to set everyone around in a fit of laughter. Flich was going to hate them, no doubt about that, and Harry would have to bail them out at some point, but not today. Today was Halloween, and he was supposed to have tea with Snape at two, and he still needed to get cleaned up. 

As Harry was walking by the Defense classroom, he was a bit surprised to see Professor Lupin step out of the office. Lupin looked just as surprised to see him. 

“Harry,” he said, sounding rather confused. “What are you doing? Didn’t you want to go to Hogsmeade?” 

“I already did,” Harry explained. “Just went to see my brother, then came back.” 

“Ah.” With a nod, Lupin frowned at Harry, seeming to consider something. “Why don’t you come in? I just gotten a delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson.” 

He thought about saying no. He needed to shower after being outside with Snuffles that morning, along with his left over homework that was due the next day, meeting with Snape for their annual tea, and going back out to give Snuffles some more food. But then he remembered why he had tea with Snape on this exact day. Because his birth parents had died this day, years ago. If Harry was right, and Lupin had known Lily and James Potter, then the man could still be hurting, just like Snape… 

So Harry followed Lupin back into the classroom, and up to his office. There was a tank in the corner, now, with a creature inside. He recognized the shape of the face from Maria’s second year book. The sickly green color, though, hadn’t been captured in the drawing. 

“Tea?” Lupin offered, looking around for what Harry assumed was a kettle. “I was just thinking of making some.” 

“Yes,” Harry said, as he carefully took a seat in one of the chairs. “That would be nice.” 

With a bit of a smile, Lupin went about making tea. He rambled, almost to himself, about not having tea leaves. Just bags, though Harry wasn’t going to complain. Tea was tea. When Lupin sat down, he held out a cup to Harry, and he took it to sip at the drink. 

“I’m rambling,” Lipin chuckled. “Sorry, I just… You look a lot like someone I knew when I was your age…” 

So Lupin had known his birth parents. More accurately, Lupin had known James Potter. It was interesting, and Harry almost wanted to ask to hear about James, since he really only ever heard about Lily from Snape. But… he shouldn’t. He didn’t want Lupin to start treating him differently, if he figured out Harry was, well, James’ son. 

He must have been making a strange face, because Lupin was looking at him with concern. “Is everything alright, Harry?” 

“Yes,” he said quickly, only to pause. He thought about earlier that day, on the way to Hogsmeade… The way the Dementor’s had seemed to stare at him, sending shivers down his spine. “No,” he said, fiddling with his tea cup. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the… Dementors.” 

“Dementors?” Lupin asked, sounding rather surprised. 

“I was wondering if there was any way to make them affect me less,” Harry said. “When I went to the village today, they… It was hard to even walk by them. My dormmates didn’t seem nearly as affected as I was, though. So, I was hoping-” 

There was a knock at the door, and Harry quickly closed his mouth. 

“Come in,” Lupin called. 

When the door opened, Snape was the one to enter. He was carrying a smoking goblet, and frowned at the sight of Harry. Lupin didn’t seem to notice, though, and smiled. 

“Ah, Severus,” Lupin said. “Thank you. Could you just leave it here on the desk for me?” 

Snape scowled, setting down the smoking goblet as his eyes darted between the other professor and Harry, and down at the cups on the table. 

“Harry just had a Defense question for me,” Lupin said pleasantly. 

“Yes,” Snape said, slow and careful. “You should drink that directly, Lupin.” 

“Yes, yes, I will.” 

“I made an entire cauldronful,” Snape added. “If you need more.” 

“I’ll take some again tomorrow. Thank you very much, Severus.” 

Snape didn’t say anything else, simply giving Harry a glance before backing out of the room. Was is just Harry’s imagination, or had Snape looked… worried? How odd… 

Harry turned to look once more at Lupin, who was drinking the smoking potion. He waited, watching as Lupin set the still smoking cup to the side, and hoping he wouldn’t have to ask his question again. It was already rather embarrassing. 

“Right,” Lupin said, humming as he thought. “The Dementors… Well, there is one thing I can think of to teach you, but it’s rather advanced magic for your age-” 

“I’d like to learn,” Harry said, rather quickly, as he sat up straighter in his chair. “Can you teach me now?” 

“Slow down,” Lupin chuckled. “While it’s good to see you so excited to learn, there isn’t much I can do to teach you at the moment. I can, however, get something set up. We can start lessons next Saturday, if you’re still feeling enthusiastic then.” 

“Yes. Yes, I want to learn.” 

“Then I’ll get everything together by then.” 

“Thank you, Professor,” Harry said, glancing at the clock, and got up. It was already almost one. “Thank you for the tea.” 

Lupin studied him, but nodded and watched Harry go. He decided to skip the shower, and just went to get changed. The other boys had eaten nearly all the pastries by the time he had gotten to the common room. Though, Crabbe and Goyle had gotten into them… 

When Harry finally got to Snape’s office, he was a bit late. He gave a quick knock, and poked his head in before the professor could call back. Snape was sitting in his usual armchair, the table set, though the tea hadn’t been poured yet. He looked almost surprised. 

“Alistair,” he said. “I didn’t think you were coming.” 

“But we always have tea on Halloween,” Harry said, moving to sit in his own regular chair and pour them both a cup. He smiled, holding a cup out. “Here.” 

Snape’s lips turned in the smallest of smiles, and he carefully took the cup. 


	7. Halloween Fright

After tea with Snape, Harry was happy to go up to the feast. He didn’t eat much, but he did enjoy a conversation with Zabini and Nott. The two asked him to call them by their first names, which Harry readily agreed to. 

As dinner was winding down, and the tables were about to be cleared, a loud pop sounded from the staff table. If the conversation hadn’t died down, they might not have heard it. Nearly the entire room turned to look at the staff table, starting to whisper at the sight that awaited them. A shaking house elf was standing next to Dumbledore’s chair, talking animatedly, but all Harry could make out was squeaking sounds. 

Whatever the elf had told the Headmaster, it wasn’t good. The crazy man stood sharply, McGonagall and Flitwick closing all the doors out of the hall as he spoke. “The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle. I’m afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately.” 

The hall was instantly filled with confused murmurs, as the teachers were quickly off. Snape, however, caught Harry’s eyes, and gave him a hard scowl. Harry knew that scowl. That was a ‘don’t do anything dangerous’ scowl. Papa gave him that same look when he left on the train the year before, after the winter holidays. 

With the teachers gone, the students were getting up and moving to mingle with the other tables. Ron was up and moving before Harry could even blink, dropping into the seat next to Harry before the others could stop him. 

“It’s Black,” Ron said quickly, voice shaking a little. “Marissa heard the elf talking to Dumbledore. Black was down in the dungeons, by the kitchens.” 

“ _ Sirius Black _ ?” Blaise asked, eyes wide. “What’s he doing here? I mean, the Ministry clearly thought he would come here, if they sent Dementors, but…  _ Dementors _ . How did he get past them?” 

Harry clenched his fists under the table. He knew why Black was here… Black was here to kill him. He must have seen his picture in the Prophet, somehow. It was the only explanation Harry could think of. Why else would Black be in the dungeons? 

“We’ll be fine in here,” Draco said, though he didn’t sound completely convinced. “Sirius Black wouldn’t dare try to attack you while we’re all here.” 

“What?” Harry said, jumping in his seat. “How do you know he’s after me?...” Had Malfoy figured it out? That he was Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived?

“Father told me,” Draco explained, though that only freaked harry out even more. “Said Black probably went mad and escaped to take revenge on your father. He did lead the vote on sending Black to Azkaban without trial.” 

“I think he did the right thing,” Blaise said. “The man was crazy. Blew up a muggle street, and killed thirteen people. If there had been a trial, he could have used that time to escape somehow.” 

Harry blinked. Papa had gotten Black sent to Azkaban without a trial? True, from what Harry knew, Black would have been convicted anyway, but he hadn’t known. And from the look on Ron’s face, he hadn’t known either. 

“You’re right,” Harry said, when the Slytherin’s looked at him expectantly. “We’ll be fine.” 

The room was quickly filled with talk about Sirius Black after that. Some, who knew about Papa, were looking at Harry and his family in concern. The new information made Harry wonder if Black was actually after him or after his family in general. But if Black wanted to kill all the Alistair family, then why not go after Quinn in Hogsmeade? No, Black had to be after Harry specifically. 

After an hour or two, each of the head of houses came back to count their students and pass out sleeping bags. When Harry went up to get one of the squishy purple bags, Snape gave him a narrowed eyed look that promised pain if he tried to sneak out. He wasn’t planning on it, with or without the cloak, since he needed to make sure none of his family got hurt. 

He pulled his bag into a corner far away from any doors or windows, and Skyla, Marissa, Hester, and Milla all followed suit. Ron and Hermione managed to snag spaces nearby, before the other Slytherin’s could join their little circle, though they were still close enough that Harry could see them. It was a bad idea, for all the Horde that were present to be clustered so close together, but Harry didn’t want to risk being to far away to help if Black attacked. 

XxXXxX

There were no disturbances during the night. Black didn’t reappear, and no one spotted him. So, the next morning, classes resumed like normal. The next week was normal. In fact, aside from the hushed whispers, it was like Black had never been there at all. 

“ _ It’s weird, _ ” Harry said as he sat at the table Hagrid had put in the Chamber. “ _ It’s like he’s given up. _ ” 

“ _ He is waiting, _ ” Sila hissed. “ _ He is hunting you… And you caught his scent. Now, he is waiting for you to lower your guard once more, Speaker Harry. _ ” 

Harry groaned, dropping his head against the wood of the table. He was torn. He wanted to go after Black, to get revenge for what had happened. But he knew that would only put his family at risk. Sure, Skyla could defend them, but she was so gentle… She wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well… she hurt Lockhart, but he deserved that. 

With a heavy sigh, Harry got up from the table. He needed something to do. Snuffles had run off somewhere with Crookshanks, and all his friends were busy with homework. Well, Ron and the Slytherin’s were busy with homework, and Hermione was busy in the library. Harry had been so on top of everything so far this year, he had actually run out of things to do. He had their strategy set for playing Gryffindor next week, and he had actually done such a Hermione thing and read ahead in his textbooks. He just needed something to do until his meeting with Lupin.

“ _ I could hunt him for you, _ ” Sila hissed as she slithered around the Chamber. She was probably just as bored as he was. “ _ Let me hunt him… These pipes go all over the castle. I could find him quickly. _ ” 

Instantly, Harry stopped, looking at her. “ _ What did you say? _ ” 

“ _ I could find him. _ ” 

“ _ No. After that. About the pipes. _ ” 

Sila tilted her head at him. “ _ The pipes go all over the castle. Are you well, Speaker Harry? _ ” 

“ _ Yeah, _ ” Harry said as he went to get his bag. “ _ I got an idea. I just need some lights and a couple signs! Thanks, Sila! _ ” 

Heading for the exit, Harry started scribbling a list of all the things he would need for his new project. Lights, of course, with different colors, and a few wood boards he could cut up and paint. It would probably take all year, and maybe even the next, but he was going to do it. 

With his new project set up, Harry went to his meeting with Lupin. The man was sitting in his office, grading papers, when Harry arrived. He set them aside, gesturing for Harry to take a seat. 

“Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth,” Lupin said, simply. “They infest the darkest, filthiest places, and glory in decay and despair. They drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone collapse.” 

“So you know who I am?” Harry asked tightly, though he supposed he should have expected it. Lupin wasn’t stupid. 

The professors face fell, a melancholy look spreading across it. “Of course I do. You are Harrison Alistair, but you look so much like James did at your age. And your eyes… That’s all Lily.” 

Harry didn’t say anything, letting Lupin shake the thought away on his own. 

“There are defenses that one can use to drive away the dark that Dementor’s bring,” Lupin explained as he composed himself. “More specifically, a charm. It’s very advanced, and not everyone learns to use it. It’s called the Patronus Charm.” 

“How does it work?” 

“Well, when it works correctly, it conjures a Patronus. Which is a sort of anti-Dementor guardian that acts like a shield between you and the Dementor. It’s a kind of positive force. A projection of the very things that Dementors feed on. But a Patronus can’t feel despair, like you and I can, so the Dementors can’t hurt it.” 

Harry eyed the professor. “What does a Patronus look like?” 

“Each one is unique,” Lupin said. “It all depends on the wizard who conjures it.” 

“What does yours look like?” 

Lupin hesitated. “Perhaps a demonstration will help later, but not now. You will conjure it with an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.” 

Instantly, Harry’s mind jumped to the day he was adopted. It had been the greatest day of his life, finally getting away from the Dursley’s and having loving parents. There was also his first birthday with them… That had been a fantastic day, getting to meet all his brothers and sisters and his nieces and nephews, even if most of them were decades older them him. 

“For now, this is where our lesson will end,” Lupin said. “For now, you’ll be working on finding your happy memory. It has to be a strong one. Next week, I’ll teach you the incantation and you can try casting.” 

Harry frowned, wanting to ask why he had to wait, but decided against it. He had his memory, he was sure, but this wasn’t something Harry should rush. He could wait. 

Thanking the professor, Harry got his back and went back to his common room. 

XxXXxX

His next lesson with Lupin got cancelled last minute, since they their game with Gryffindor was that day. It was raining, and a lot of his team looked worried about flying in that storm. Honestly, Harry was a little worried to. He was a great Seeker, small and light compared to Skyla, but in wind like this? That wasn’t an advantage. 

“We’ll all be fine,” Harry said, trying to come up with an inspirational speech like the ones Nina used to give. “We’ve been training for this, and we’ve probably have the best team I’ve seen since my first year. So, even with all this rain and wind, we’re going to go out there, and beat those Gryffindors!” 

The Slytherin team gave a polite round of applause, and followed Harry out to the field. Hermione was there, seemingly out of nowhere, to give his glasses a water repelling charm, and do the same for anyone else with glasses before she seemed to vanish again. They were quickly in the air, though, and the faster the game was over, the better. 

Holding tight to his broom, Harry did his best to not get shoved off course by the strong wind as the game started. Draco looked to be having a similar problem, doing his best to hold the Quaffle with one hand and his broom this the other. They played for what felt like hours in the cold rain. When lightening started to crack and spark over head, Harry was half tempted to call a timeout and tell his team he would rather forfeit the game then let someone get hurt. 

Suddenly, Skyla flew past him, and Harry turned to watch as a crackle of lightning lit the dark pitch. She’d spotted the Snitch, and now, so had he. He was racing behind her in an instant. Rain lashed at his face like tiny whips, his fingers numb around his brooms handle. Harry willed it to go faster, because even though he didn’t want the team to get hurt, he didn’t want to let them down by not doing his best. 

Suddenly, the stadium went silent. No one in the stands were cheering or calling anymore, and the wind had seemed to fall into a silence, even though it was still as strong as it had been. It was like someone had turned off the sound to the world, and Harry almost thought he had gone deaf. 

Then that terrible and familiar feeling filled his chest, like an icy wind had frozen his lungs. He looked down, away from the Snitch. 

Below him, at least a hundred Dementors had gathered. Their hidden faces pointed up at him, staring at him, like they didn’t care about anyone else. Harry wanted to run, a feeling like frozen water rising in his chest cutting through him. The screaming filled his ears, echoing around him. 

“ _ Harry! Not Harry, please! _ ”

“ _ Stand aside, silly girl. Stand aside, now. _ ” 

“ _ Not Harry! Please, no, take me. Kill me instead- _ ” 

His fingers and mind numb, Harry felt his body began to tilt. He was… on a broom? Why? That woman… He should help her. She was going to die, if Harry didn’t do anything. He tilted more, until he felt weightless, the sounds of a woman screaming and a man laughing filling his ears as he closed his eyes. 


	8. Broken Brooms and Mischievous Maps

When Harry came to, it was to the sound of worried voices. 

“It’s a miracle he isn’t dead.” 

“Pucey! Don’t say things like that! He really could have died!” 

“No shit, Blake. That’s why he said it was a miracle.” 

“I thought he was dead for sure.” 

“Sparrow!” 

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Malfoy. He didn’t even break his glasses.” 

Harry groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Every inch of him was aching in a way he hadn’t felt since leaving the Dursley’s. The entirety of the Slytherin Quidditch team were gathered around him, along with his family and friends. They all looked like they had been rolling in the mud, covered from head to toe in it, staring down at him. 

“Harry!” Marissa gasped, leaning over him. Skyla, who was in a chair, facing away from him, gave a distressed wail. “You’re awake!” 

“What happened?” he groaned, slowly pushing himself up. 

“You fell,” Hermione said, voice soft with worry. “From your broom…” 

“We thought you died,” Jack Williams said, looking like he was in shock himself. 

“The match,” Harry said, eyes widening. “What happened? Are we doing a replay?” 

The team was quiet. 

“We… We didn’t lose, did we?” 

“Your sister caught the Snitch,” Blaise said. “Just after you fell. Everyone saw. When she turned around and realized what had happened, she tried to call it off. But they won fair and square. Even Snape thinks so, though he wasn’t happy about it.” 

His eyes darted to his sister as she gave another wail, her face in here hands. Harry had never seen her this distraught before. She would probably need some cheering up. 

“Skyla,” he said, doing what he could to sound supportive. “It’s okay. It’s not like you could have caught me.” 

His words only seem to upset her more, and her cries grew louder. Harry winced. That… had not gone as he had planned. He put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. He had let down his team, he couldn’t help Skyla… 

“What else?” he said after a deep breath. 

“Come on, Harry,” Ron said as he put a hand on his shoulder. “There had to be at least one time you didn’t catch the Snitch…” 

“What else?” he said again, this time more sharply. 

“We lost by a hundred points,” Sparrow finally said. 

Harry groaned, pulling his knees more tightly to his chest. For the first time, he had lost a game he had played. He had lost a match, and he had let his team down his first game as Captain. God, this was terrible. 

Madam Pomfrey came in soon after that. She sent anyone who was covered in mud out of the room, so everyone but Milla and Hester had to go. They were the only one’s not soaked to the bone, and looking more then a little guilty. As Madam Pomfrey was giving him a check up, they told him what they had heard had happened, since they hadn’t been there. 

Apparently, Dumbledore had run out to the field when he fell, and done some sort of magic to slow his fall. Then he, Snape, and Lupin had done some kind of magic send the Dementors away. He wanted to ask why they hadn’t been at the match, but couldn’t while Pomfrey was there, just incase they had been causing mischief. 

“Did someone get my Nimbus?” he asked instead. 

The two shared a look, before Milla pointed to something to his left. Harry turned, and stared at the soggy looking box on the bedside table. He opened it and stared down at the splintered bits of wood as they told him about Flitwick bringing it in for him just before he woke up. It had apparently hit the Whomping Willow. 

When Pomfrey finally walked away, Harry took a deep breath, and finally set the box aside to turn to his younger cousins. 

“You weren’t at the game,” he said pointedly. 

They shared a look. 

“We were exploring the castle,” Milla said, looking down. 

“Using this,” Hester said, hanging his head as he held out a folded piece of parchment. 

Harry frowned, taking the paper and unfolding it. It was blank. He rose a brow at them, and they pulled out their wands, placing the tips on the page as they spoke softly. 

“I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” 

Instantly, thin lines of ink spread like a spiders web from the tips of their wands onto the paper. They darted and weaved around, as a distinct shape of the castle grew. Words blossomed across the top in curly green script. 

_ Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfood, and Prongs _ _   
_ _ Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers _ _   
_ _ are proud to present _ _   
_ __ THE MARAUDER'S MAP

It was, clearly, a map. But it was what the map showed that was the interesting part. It showed every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds, along with what looked like secret passages that Harry had never heard of before. Yet, that still wasn’t the interesting part. There were tiny dots, moving along the paper, with little labels on each one. Bending closer Harry stared. He could see that Dumbledore was pacing his study, and Snuffles was outside with Crookshanks. It even showed Peeves the Poltergeist bouncing around the trophy room. 

“Where did you get this?” Harry asked seriously. 

“The Weasley twins gave it to us,” Hester said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Said they saw mischief potential and showed us how to use it.” 

“And where did they get it? Because I’m sure neither of them go by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, or Prongs.” 

“They stole it from a cabinet in Flinch’s office,” Milla pouted. “It’s not dangerous… Just a map…” 

“A map that I’ll be keeping,” Harry said. Instantly, the two let out noises of protest. “Unless, of course, you want me to tell Quinn you’ve been breaking school rules?” They instantly quieted down. “That’s what I thought. Now, how does it work?” 

The twins showed him how to work it. If was fairly simple, in terms of usage. To open it, tap it with a wand and say ‘I solemnly swear I am up to no good’. To close, simply tap again and say ‘Mischief managed’. 

His little cousins were clearly disappointed they would be losing it, but they weren’t going to fight him on it. They left when Madam Pomfrey came back to tell him he was staying the weekend, and Harry silently accepted it, the map tucked under his pillow. 

When he was finally released, he went back to his dorm, distracted. 

XxXXxX

Harry spent as much of his free time as he could with the map. He didn’t tell anyone about it, other then Snuffles. And, well, Snuffles was a dog. 

He had a bit more time on his hands, with his broom broken. Harry still went to the Quidditch practices with the other Slytherin’s, but there was no way he was flying until he was absolutely sure he had to use the school broom. The day after he had gotten out of the hospital wing, he had sent Hedwig with a letter to his parents. He’d gotten one back not even a day later. 

_ Dear Harrison,  _

_ Your father and I have decided it would be best for you and Skyla to remain at Hogwarts for the holidays. By now, you have undoubtedly heard about what your father did twelve years ago, and his connection to Sirius Black. We think that he might be after your father, and we’ve just found out he has been sighted near the house recently, though we aren’t sure how recent. Until we know more, your father and I are going into hiding in Spain. You won’t be able to reach us, but your brothers and sisters should be able to help you if you really need anything.  _

_ I hope you are safe and well, and I hope you aren’t too upset to be stuck at Hogwarts again this Christmas.  _

_ With Love,  _

_ Mother _

Harry scowled down at the letter. It had to be at least a few days old. His parents wouldn’t be getting his letter for a while. At least they weren’t playing again until after the holidays… Skyla seemed less annoyed then he did. She was worried- and Harry was to, honest -but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. If Black had been seen out by the house, then that meant he wasn’t at Hogwarts anymore. 

His Patronus lessons with Lupin continued every other week, though Harry was mostly just practicing the spell right now. The silvery mist glowed when he cast it, but Lupin didn’t bring out anything for Harry to cast at just yet. He was starting to get anxious, and grumbled as he made his way through the weeks leading up to the holidays. 

Just like first year, Harry was the only Slytherin to stay at Hogwarts. He got set up to stay on a Hufflepuff couch again, though Snape stayed in the castle this time. They had tea again the day after everyone left, and Harry told his head of house about his worries for his parents. If anything happened to them. 

“Gerald Alistair was once an outstanding Auror,” Snape said, waving off Harry’s concerns. “And while Zinnia Alistair has only worked in the Muggle Affairs office, she had quite a bit of dueling experience. Your parents will be fine, Alistair.” 

Harry wanted to believe him, he did, but he just had this… feeling. This feeling that danger was closer then he thought. 

He finally told Ron and Hermione about the Chamber, and convinced them to come down with him, to help with his new project. All of the pipes leading out of the Chamber let somewhere, and he figured that he could map them out, put different colored lights in them to guide the way. Hermione thought it was a silly idea, but still helped make signs to up in the tunnels for him and Ron to put up. It was going to take longer then Harry had thought, since it was taking longer then they thought to even figure out where each pipe went. Especially since Sila thought it was funny to just sit and listen to them struggle. 

When Christmas rolled around, Harry and Ron opened their presents in the Hufflepuff common room. He got another strange book from Freya, this time with a dragon on the front instead of a serpent, and the usual sweater from Mrs. Weasley. There was, however, a long and thin package that isn't labeled. When he opened it, Harry beamed at the brand new Firebolt that came out of it. His parents had managed to send him a gift after all! 

When the holidays were over, and Harry was back in his dorm, the Slytherin’s marveled at his new broom. They were about as excited as Harry was. Not even the richest of them just got a Firebolt. It was the most advanced, and expensive, broom on the market right now. 

His Patronus lessons weren’t going very well. Once Harry had gotten the hang of casting the charm, Lupin had moved him to using a Boggart as a stand in Dementor. It was… awful. He kept hearing Voldemort killing Lily Potter, kept hearing the screams… It wasn’t working. And it wasn’t helping. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” Harry sighed to Ron, as they watched the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match. “It’s just not working…” 

“Not really the one to ask for spell advice,” Ron told him. “But really, Harry! You’re really good at Defense spells. You’ll get it soon. Maybe you can ask that witch your brother married? Er… The French one?” 

“Maria,” Harry said, then paused. That was actually a really good idea. Lupin was great. Really, he was. But Maria’s books were so easy to understand. “You’re right. Thanks, Ron. How’s Scabbers?” 

“Hermione’s bloody demon cat has him scared to death,” Ron grumbled. Harry was glad that Hermione had decided to not come to the match. He didn’t want another fight. “I made up a little nest for him in a box by my bed. He’s not eating anymore… And he’s losing hair… I think he might die…” 

Harry winced, gently patting Ron on the back. “Do you think maybe it might not just be Crookshanks? I mean… He’s been in your family for a really long time. Rats normally only live for two or three years. Maybe it’s just his time?” 

For a second, Ron looked like he was going to argue. But his face soon fell, and he sniffled as he looked down. Harry felt pretty bad, and gave Ron a nudge. 

“We could take him to a place in Hogsmeade tomorrow,” Harry tried. “Send him off without any pain. And Quinn knows a taxidermist, if you want to do that.” At Ron’s horrified look, he quickly corrected himself. “Or you can bury him when you get home!” 

“Thanks, Harry,” Ron sniffed, reaching up to rub at his eyes. “Not sure I’m gonna sleep tonight… You know, with what’s coming t-tomorrow…” 

“Want me to sneak into the Hufflepuff Common Room? We can sleep on the couch.” 

“That would be great, Harry…” 

After the match (Ravenclaw won. Skyla had been to distracted.), Harry went to the dorm with the other Slytherin’s and got his stuff ready for the night. He was undoubtedly going to get caught, but he wanted to be there for Ron. He explained the situation to Draco, Blaise, and Nott, and while they didn’t seem to really understand, they agreed to cover for him if any of the Slytherin’s found out he was missing. 

Just after curfew, Harry snuck into the Hufflepuff Common Room with his bag for of treats. Most of it was for Ron, since he knew his friend tended to fall asleep after eating to much sugar. Ron let him in, since even though he had stayed in the Hufflepuff Common Room twice now, he had never learned the password to open the tunnel. They sat together, on one of the plush couches, with Scabbers between them in the box. Ron had been right. The rat did look awful. 

They fell asleep like that on that couch, and while it wasn’t all that comfortable, it would do. He had such a strange and wonderful dream, though, of running through the woods, chasing after something. And he had been getting close, to, until he heard a scream. 

“AHHH!” Ron wailed, making Harry jump and jerk awake like he had been slapped. “NO!” 

Instantly, Harry’s wand arm swung up, and cast the first spell he could think of. “Expelliarmus!” 

A knife clattered to the ground, and Harry almost thought he was still dreaming. He watched with wide eyes as the man turned and fled out the Common Room entrance. Quickly, Harry got up to follow, only to be pulled back by a frantic Ron as other students came flooding into the Common Room. 

“What’s going on?” Cedric Diggory asked as he came out, frowning at Harry. “What are you doing here?” 

“Black!” Ron practically whimpered, pointing to the knife that had fallen to the floor. “Sirius Black! With a Knife!” 


	9. Under the Whomping Willow

Once another Hufflepuff prefect had gotten Professor Sprout, and Harry and Ron had explained what happened, they waited silently in the Common Room. The castle was undoubtedly being searched again, and no one in Hufflepuff slept knowing that. Most wanted to know if he had been caught, though Harry wouldn’t have been able to sleep either way. Black had been right there… He had been so close, he could have… 

He forced himself to not think about it. He focused on Ron instead, who was in shock, and upset because Scabbers had disappeared during the commotion. 

“He killed him,” Ron sniffed as Harry tried to calm him down. “He killed Scabbers.” 

“He probably just ran away when he realized he was in danger,” Harry said. “We’ll find him.” 

The next day, they found out the Black had gotten away once again. Security was cranked up, with Flitwick teaching the front doors to recognize a picture of Black and Filch going up and down hallways, boarding up everything from tiny cracks to mouse holes. A portrait had been added to the Hufflepuff entrance, some kind of knight that rode around on a tiny fat horse. 

All through the day, students were coming up to him and Ron to ask them what had happened. Harry didn’t want to talk about it. He had been far too close to death for comfort. But, honestly. It wouldn’t be Hogwarts if he didn’t almost die… 

“Why did he run, thought?” Ron asked as they were walking searching for Scabbers. “I mean, you were right there…” 

“He must have known he would have a harder time getting out of the castle once you yelled and woke everyone up,” Harry said, though he himself wasn’t that convinced. Black had had a perfect opening, yet he had wasted it… 

They had tried to find Scabbers for hours. They had. But they eventually gave up. Harry went back to his dorm, and pulled out the Marauder’s Map in hopes of finding the rat on it. He didn’t, just the usual people in their usual places: Most students away at Hogsmeade, Hagrid in his hut, Snuffles out by the lake, and Hermione in the Library. 

He hadn’t seen Hermione very often this year, not that he thought about it. She was always so busy, doing all those extra classes. Harry didn’t have a clue as to how she was doing it all. Still, she was probably going to be pretty famous if she could keep this up until they graduate… If she got Outstandings on all her NEWTs, five years from now, she could be the first student to get twelve NEWTs at that level instead of the current record of eight. 

There wasn’t too much time to put a lot of thought into it, though, as he got a letter from his mother a few days after Black’s attack. While she was upset that Black had gotten so close to him, she was more upset that they had wasted all that time in Spain. Black probably hadn’t been anywhere near the house. He could have been home for the holidays, could have gotten his presents in person and had Dizzy’s cocoa by the fireplace like every year. His mother was upset, wanting to see her ‘baby boy’, and while Harry knew he was the youngest, he groaned at the term. He was not a baby… 

His father had sent him a much shorter but similar note with a package. The note had warned to open it private, and to not misuse it. When he finally opened it alone in the Chamber, Harry was gleeful to find a new slingshot, having forgotten about the one he broke last year. There was also a new pellet pouch, charmed to give him exactly the kind of pellet he wanted, and to never run out. It was meant to be worn from a strap that went around the wrist of the hand holding the slingshot, making it easy to fire and reload in quick succession. 

Be started practicing in his free time. Hermione wasn’t coming down to help with the pipe labels, so it was even more slow going than it already had been. By the start of the exam month, they had only labeled two pipes all the way through, and even then, they didn’t stick very well. 

Just before exams started, the Slytherin’s had their last game of the season, against Ravenclaw. It wasn’t Harry’s best work, since he had to wait until they were fifty points ahead before going after the Snitch. Cho Chang seemed to know what he was doing, and was moving to block Harry every chance she got. He did get the Snitch, securing the win for Slytherin, no matter how Gryffindor did against Hufflepuff in three weeks. 

They went through their exams in waves of tiredness in the following months. Harry had no clue how Hermione went to two exams at once, but he didn't bother asking. He was pretty sure he did pretty well on most of his exams, though his Divination exam had been strange. 

“ _ IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT _ ,” Professor Trelawney had said, looking almost like she was having a seizure at the end of his exam. 

“Sorry?” Harry had asked. He had come to agree with Hermione. The class was total bullshit, but this seemed different. 

“ _ THE DARK LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. _ _   
_ _ HIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS.  _ _   
_ _ TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHT...  _ _   
_ _ THE SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER.  _ _   
_ _ THE DARK LORD WILL RISE AGAIN WITH HIS SERVANTS AID,  _ _   
_ _ GREATER AND MORE TERRIBLE THAN EVER HE WAS.  _ _   
_ _ TONIGHT... BEFORE MIDNIGHT...  _ _   
_ __ THE SERVANT... WILL SET OUT... TO REJOIN... HIS MASTER.... ” 

She made a sort of hacking sound, suddenly blinking and back to normal. Harry didn’t bother trying to talk to her about it. He just got his grade and made his way back to find Ron and Hermione, or even Draco, Blaise, and Theo, to tell them what had happened. Instead, he bumped into an ill looking Lupin, rounding a corner so fast that he got knocked over, sending the contents of both their bags spilling everywhere. 

“Sorry,” Harry said, quickly moving to gather up his things and not Lupin’s. 

“It’s alright,” Lupin told him, only to trail of as he lifted the parchment that was the Map. “Harry, where did you get this map?” 

“It’s just-” Harry paused in his go to lie, eyes widening. “How did you know it was a map?” 

Lupin sighed, reaching up to pinch his nose as he stood up. He looked so very tired. “Harry… This is a very dangerous thing to have. And I will be taking it. Now, go on. I have exams to grade, and don’t have time right now.” 

He wanted to argue, his cheeks ablaze, but Lupin just looked so tired. He wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. So Harry just marched his way down to the courtyard, where he found Ron and Hermione. The two looked up in surprise to see him in such a foul mood, but he couldn’t exactly tell them about the map now. Not only that, but Hermione looked like she would pass out any minute, so he just waved it off and dropped to sit with them. 

Harry did tell them about Trelawny, though. That encounter had been strange enough to warrant discussion. They tossed ideas back and forth, Ron saying that maybe You Know Who could be trying to make another comeback. Hermione thought it had to do something with Sirius Black. Harry was pretty sure that they were probably both right. 

Before they could really get into it, there were distracted by Crookshanks as the cat chased something something towards them just before dusk. Harry just ignored it at first. Ron, however, was quickly to his feets. 

“Scabbers!” 

Instantly, Ron was chasing after his missing rat. 

“Crookshanks!” Hermione moaned, getting up to chase after her cat. “No, stop! Crookshanks!” 

Harry blinked, getting up to chase after his friends. He was surprised that no one came chasing after them, they were making so much noise. They sprinted after Ron, who was charging after the cat and rat at full speed. For a moment, Harry lost sight of them as they got close to the Whomping Willow, only to nearly trip over Ron when he stopped. 

His friend had jumped onto the cat and somehow struggled the rat back into his pocket. Scabbers was still struggling wildly, but he was still safely tucked inside. Hermione, on the other hand, was scowling as she plucked Crookshanks up from the ground. 

Before Harry could really catch his breath, he heard the pounding of large but near silent paws. He quickly went for his wand, ready to pull it out and cast a shield charm, only for whatever it was to leap at him. A heavy weight slammed into his chest, a wave of hot breath hitting his face as he was thrown to the ground. Whatever it was rolled off him, though he was dizzy as he scrambled to stand. His ribs were aching, hurting so much that he was sure he was hallucinating. 

“Snuffles?” he wheezed. 

Then, with a snarl, the dog he had been caring for lunged again as Ron shoved him away. The sharp jaws clamped around Ron’s arm, and Harry and Hermione jumped to try and seize the dog and pull him off of Ron. It was too late. Snuffles was dragging Ron away like he was a rag doll. 

Harry and Hermione were quickly off once again, chasing the dog into range of the Whomping Willow. Before they could do anything, Ron was being dragged backward through a gap in the roots of the tree. He was clearly fighting, thrashing furiously to get lose, but he was slipping out of sight. 

“Ron!” Harry called, ducking as the tree swing at them. 

“Harry,” Hermione called, dropping as the willow took a swing at her. “We need to go for help-” 

“No! Snuffles- Somethings wrong! We might not have time!” 

“We’re never going to get through without help-!” 

As if responding to her words, Crookshanks darted forward. The cat slipped easily past the battering branches, and put his paws on a knot on the trunk. Instantly, as if turned to stone, the tree froze. 

Not having time to question it, Harry led the charge into the hole. Crookshanks went in before him, and Harry slid in to cast a Lumos. Hermione was right behind him, and they started down the tunnel. Ahead of them, Crookshanks was bobbing in and out of view, as they moved as quickly as they could. 

When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, following its rise into a dusty room. Harry gasped for breath, waving a hand in front of his face as he tried to help Hermione up out of the tunnel. The room was a disordered mess, paper peeling off the walls and strange stains everywhere. Most of the furniture was broken, like someone had smashed them. 

“Harry,” Hermione whispered. “I think we’re in the Shrieking Shack…” 

He only gave a sharp nod. He had seen the seen the shack from the outside before, but he had never bothered to wonder what it looked like on the inside. But he didn’t worry about it now either. Instead, Harry turned to follow the only door out into a hallway with his wand at the ready. 

They moved to the only door that was open, a loud purring being drowned out by pained moans behind it. With a glance to Hermione, Harry pushed the door in slowly, only to throw caution to the wind when he saw Ron. He was on the floor beside a bed that Crookshanks had claimed, clutching at his leg as it stuck out at a strange angle. 

“Ron!” Harry called as they dashed to his side. “Are you okay?” 

“Where’s the dog?” Hermione asked, reaching towards his leg, only to pull her hand back before she could touch it. 

“Not a dog,” Ron moaned through grit teeth. “Harry, it’s a trap. He’s the dog. He’s an Animagus.” 

Suddenly, Ron’s eyes went wide and darted to something over Harry’s shoulder. He was instantly up, wheeling around just in time to see the man close the door with a snap. 

Sirius Black looked different in person then he did in his news photos. Harry had expected him to be skinnier, to look more dead. Only, his hair was recently cut, if a little shaggy, and he looked rather well fed. And he moved fast, disarming them with Ron’s wand. 

“I knew you’d come and help him,” Black said, voice a little hoarse. “Your father would have done the same for me, you know. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. But I’m grateful. It will make this all much easier.” 

Harry clenched is fist, the taunt ringing in his ears like Black had screamed it at him. Normally, he would correct people who called James Potter his father. Not this time. If felt wrong, saying that to his birth parents murderer. Or, the one who made their murder possible. And not only that, but the man had toyed with Harry. This man had posed as an animal, and Harry had  _ pampered  _ him. 

“If you want to kill Harry,” Ron said, forcing himself to his feet to scowl a fierce look even as the color drained from his face. “If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill us too!” 

“Lie down,” Black said instead, a sad look sparking through his eyes. “You’ll only hurt that leg more.” 

“Didn’t you hear me?” Ron said, voice trembling. “You’ll have to kill all three of us!” 

Black suddenly grinned. “There will be only one murder here tonight.” 

“Why’s that?” Harry spat, slowering at Black. “You’ve worked so hard, getting my trust these last months. Could have killed me ages ago, but you didn’t. You sick bastard… posing as my dog!” 

Before he could stop himself, Harry lunged at Black. They slammed against each other, Black trying to push Harry off as the wands went clattering off to the side. He pulled his fist back to throw a punch, only for Black to kick him off. Harry was thrown back, right next to his wand, and he scooped it up as he pointed it at Black. 

Before he could… kill Black? Knock him out? Harry didn’t know what he would have done. There was a voice, and Harry could hear muffled footsteps moving in the hallway. He could hear Hermione screaming out for help, but it sounded muffled to his ears. This was supposed to be his chance to kill Sirius Black, but… His mother wouldn’t have wanted that. She wouldn’t want to see him become a murderer. Even if it was scum like Black. 

He lowered his want as Lupin came into the room, taking a step away from black. The professor looked around, from Harry to Hermione, to Ron on the broken old bed and Sirius Black on the floor. Harry had expected the man to knock Black out. Drag him out to the Dementors. Only… Lupin didn’t. 

“Where is he, Sirius?” Lupin asked sharply. 

Harry’s mind reeled. Who was Lupin talking about? Black had been after him, hadn’t he? And Lupin could clearly see who was in the room. Unless… There was someone else? Someone else involved that he hadn’t thought about. He racked his brain, trying to remember the names and photos he had seen in the album he hadn’t looked at for three years. 

As Black raised his arm, and pointed at Ron instead of Harry, he remembered a photo had bad been lose enough to pull out. It had a school picture that had names on the back, but not real names. Nicknames. Nicknames that he had been looking at for the last several months. Wormtail, Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony. 

“But…” Lupin muttered, frowning at Black like he was trying to read his mind. “Why hasn’t he shown himself before now? Unless…” There was a moment of wide eyed clarity, as Lupin reached a conclusion Harry was probably also trying to get to. “Unless he was the one… Unless you switched… without telling me?” 

Very slowly, Black began to nod. Harry’s mind strained with this new information. Someone had been hiding, missing and probably thought dead, for a very long time. Someone that Black had switched with, though Harry didn’t know what. His head hurt, like it was there on the tip of his tongue, just waiting to come out. 

Someone thought gone, but not. Wormtail, Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony. Switched with Sirius Black. Black was an unregistered animagus. Something to do with Ron… James Potter, Sirius Black, R. J. Lupin, and… There had been another name… Someone mentioned in the paper about Black… 

It clicked as Lupin helped Black to his feet and lowered his wand. That fourth person. The short and pudgy boy from the photo. Wormtail. And, as Harry thought of it, it sounded so ridiculous. Rats had worm like tails. Scabbers… The rat was still in Ron’s pocket, wasn’t he? 

Sirius Black had never been after him… He’d been after Scabbers… 


	10. Wormtail

“I don’t believe it!” Hermione spat, rising up from where she had been seated on the floor. “You- You-!” 

“Hermione-” Lupin tried, only for Hermione to shriek at him. 

“I didn’t tell anyone! I didn’t tell after I figured it out, and I’ve- I’ve been covering up for you!” 

“Hermione, listen to me, please! I can explain-!” 

“Hermione,” Harry called, making her pause. “Let’s hear him out.” 

“No!” Hermione screamed. “Harry, don’t trust him! He’s been helping Black get into the castle! He wasn’t you dead too! He’s… He’s a werewolf!” 

For a moment, silence filled the room. Everyone’s eyes were on Lupin now, who seemed remarkably calm. Harry, however, was putting a few more less important pieces together. Sirius Black was a dog, and Lupin was a werewolf… And if those nicknames had to do with nonhuman forms, then that meant… 

“Moony,” Harry said, making the two adults jump. “I think Hermione is a little behind. Padfoot here hasn’t explained anything, but I think I figured most of it out. Why don’t you start with how you knew where we were?” 

“The map,” Lupin said, though Ron and Hermione didn’t have a clue what it was. “The Marauder’s Map. I had it open on my desk, just looking at it. We’d worked so hard, so many years ago, to make it… Thought it had been gone forever.” 

“The hell is a Marauder’s Map?” Ron managed through grit teeth. 

“It’s a magic map of the school,” Harry explained. “Shows you were everyone in the castle is. Your brothers gave it to Hester and Milla, and I took it from them on Halloween. Lupin, Black, James Potter, and one other made it when they were in school.” 

Lupin nodded. “That’s right. I just so happened to glance up from grading papers to see you three and that cat chasing after someone I thought long dead… Before I could chase after you, I saw another dot, labeled Sirius Black, collide with you, before dragging two of you into the Whomping Willow.” 

“One of us!” Ron spat, glaring. 

“No, Ron,” Lupin said softly. “Two of you… Do you think I could have a look at the rat?” 

“What? What’s Scabbers got to do with it?” 

“Ron,” Harry said, voice soft and even, eyes locked on Ron. 

Is friend hesitated for a moment, before putting a hand inside his robes. He pulled Scabbers, who thrashed desperately, out and held him by his long tail to stop him from escaping. On the bed next to him, Crookshanks stood and hissed. 

When Lupin moved to take the rat, Ron pulled him back, looking scared as he held Scabbers to his chest. 

“What’s my rat got to do with anything?” Ron asked. 

“That’s not a rat,” Sirius Black croaked, looking ready to snap. 

“What do you- Of course he’s a rat!” 

“No,” Lupin breathed. “He’s not. He’s a wizard.” 

“An Animagus,” Black sneered. “By the name of Peter Pettigrew.” 

For a second, the room was silent. 

“You’re both mental,” Ron said, wide eyed. 

“Ridiculous!” Hermione agreed. 

Harry took a step forward, towards Ron on the bed. “If you can’t trust them, then trust me, Ron. Please. Give him here.” He held out his hand. 

At first, Harry thought Ron was going to call him mental to. But, Ron eventually held out the rat. It was squealing like a piglet, little claws scratching at Harry’s hand when he took him. Harry held his breath, scowling down at the rat as he squeezed it just a little tighter then necessary. He turned to hand Scabbers over, only for Hermione to hold up her hand. 

“Wait,” she said, looking between Harry, Lupin, and Black. “Say we believe you, and Pettigrew was an unregistered Animagus. How did you know, out of millions of rats, that he was this one? How could you know if you had been locked up in Azkaban?” 

“Fudge came to inspect the prison last year,” Black said as he pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet, and held it out. Just as Harry always suspected, it was the issue he appeared in the sports section, but also the issue that Ron appeared on the front page. “He gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page on this boy's shoulder. I knew him at once. How could I not after all the times I had seen him transform? The caption said the boy was going to go back to Hogwarts. And after seeing Harry in the sports section… I knew Harry would be there to. 

“So I went to Diagon Alley to track the boy. I knew he would have to get new school supplies. Living on scraps and trash… Until I finally spotted him. Imagine my surprise when I saw Harry entering the menagerie with the boy that had Peter. I knew I had to protect Harry, so I followed him home, to make sure that Peter didn’t do anything to him, until I could come up with a plan.” 

Harry wasn’t sure what to make of that information. Black had… been trying to protect him? Black had risked everything to follow Harry, just to keep him safe? He wasn’t sure why Black would care so much about his safety, over even his own revenge, but Harry was sure it had to do with James Potter. 

“Alistair!” a voice called sharply, before the door was being thrown open by none other then Snape. In an instant, the professor was pointing his wand at Lupin and Black. “ _ You… _ ” 

“Snivillis,” Black sneered, and Harry scowled. 

“Stop,” he ordered, making both Black and Snape look at him. Harry pointed at Black, Scabbers squeaking in his hand. “Don’t you dare talk to him like that.” 

Black blinked in surprised, though Snape looked pleased. 

“Thank you, Harrison,” Snape said, his wand still pointed at Black. “Don’t worry. I shall have them both to the Dementors.” 

“No,” Harry said sharply, making Snape pause. “I’m sorry, sir, but you’re a little behind. Some new… details have come to light. They just need to be verified. You want to catch Lily Evans killer, don’t you?” 

Snape looked a bit startled at that, but took a step back. He still had his wand up, but he was going to wait. Just a bit longer… So Harry lifted the rat in his hand and held it out to Lupin. The other professor cautiously took the squealing rat, eyeing Snape, as he held Scabbers tightly with one hand and his wand with the other. 

WIth a flash of blue-white light, Scabbers was frozen in midair. His little gray body twisted madly for a moment, thrashing and shaking, until he fell to the floor with a thump. Ron let out a shout, only for it to die in his throat. Scabbers was growing, his shape changing, until a man was kneeling on the ground where Scabbers had been. 

“Well,” Lupin said pleasantly, as though this sort of thing happened every day. “Hello, Peter. Long time, no see.” 

“You,” Snape sneered, and Harry could see the fury in his eyes. “You filthy… Quivering… You killed her!” 

“Severus,” the man squeaked, as if he really was a mouse, and crawled across the floor to clutch at Lupin’s robes. “Remus, S-Sirius… My friends… My old friends… He’ll kill me… Please, don’t let him kill me-!” 

“Of course,” Sirius said, striding toward Pettigrew with a dangerous look. “I heard things in Azkaban, Peter… Voldemort’s followers aren’t happy with you.” Pettigrew flinched, as though Black had raised a hand to hit him. “What? Scared to hear your old master’s name? I can’t blame you. His lot all think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potter’s on your information. And then Voldemort met his downfall there. Not all of Voldemort’s supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? Snape here is a perfect example.” 

Snape sneered, looking like he wanted to hex Black instead of Pettigrew. 

“I must admit, Peter,” Lupin said evenly, “that I have difficulty understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat.” 

“Innocent, but scared!” squealed Pettigrew. “If his supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban! The spy, Sirius Black!”

“How dare you!” Black growled, as if he was still in the form of a dog. “Me? A spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter. I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start.” 

“For once, you and I agree, Black,” Snape sneered as his wand was now locked on Pettigrew. “Pettigrew always liked having strong friends who would take care of him. It used to be you and your silly group.” 

“Me?” Pettigrew whimpered, wiping his face around as he panted for breath. “A spy? Must be out of your mind… Never… Don’t know how you can say such-” 

“Professor Lupin?” Hermione asked timidly. “Can… Can I say something?” 

“Certainly, Hermione,” Lupin said with a polite nod. 

“Well… Scabbers- I mean… this man… Well, Ron and Harry have known each other for nearly five years. If he’s working for You Know Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?” 

“There!” Pettigrew squeaked. “Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair on Harry’s head! Why should I?” 

“Because the Dark Lord is currently gone,” Snape said, eyes narrowed. “Because what use would it be to commit murder under the watchful eyes of powerful wizards like Albus Dumbledore and Gerald Alistair, if you had no allies to deliver him to? But if you remain as you were, such a perfect place to act, you could have delivered the last Potter and be welcomed back with honors…” 

“Believe me,” Black said, facing Harry. “Believe me, Harry. I would never betray James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them, but I had thought… Peter, as their Secret Keeper? It was the ultimate bluff… But I had been wrong, and-” 

“I know,” Harry said. “I believe you.” 

“No!” Pettigrew wailed, falling to his knees. He was acting as if Harry’s response had been a death sentence. Then, Pettigrew was moving forward on his knees, grasping at the front of Sirius robes. “Sirius… It’s me… It’s Peter… Your friend… You wouldn't-” 

Sirius kicked Pettigrew off of him, growling again. “There’s enough filth on my robes without you touching them.” 

“Remus,” Pettigrew squeaked. “Remus, you don’t believe this, do you? Sirius would have told you if they had changed the plan!” 

“Not if he thought I was the spy,” Lupin said, though he didn’t sound offended at the implications. 

“Ron,” Pettigrew wailed, desperate. “Haven’t I been a good friend? A good pet? You won’t let them kill me, Ron, will you? You’re on my side, aren’t you?” 

Ron simply stared at Pettigrew with complete revulsion, and pulled himself further back on the bed, out of Pettigrews reach. “I let you sleep in my bed!” 

Unable to reach Ron, Pettigrew turned to Hermione, and gripped the hem of her robes in his hands. “Sweet girl… Clever girl… You… You won’t let them… Help me…” 

She pulled her robes from his grasp, and back up until she was against the wall, a look of horror twisting her face. With that, Pettigrew turned his head slowly to Harry, a trembling hand reaching out. Snape was pushing Harry behind him with a snarl, swatting Pettigrew's hand away. 

“Harry,” Pettigrew whispered. “Harry, she wouldn’t want you to kill me… Your mother would understand, Harry… Lily…  _ Zinnia  _ would show me mercy…” 

Instant, rage flared in his stomach. How dare Pettigrew speak of his mothers name? Harry shoved past Snape, his wand raised to cast something, anything, at the vile man on the floor. Before he could even find the best one, Snape had grabbed him, pulling his wand from his fingers and quickly pulling him away. 

“Harrison!” Snape was saying, pulling Harry away as he threw kicks at Pettigrews face. “Harrison, calm yourself!” 

Black and Lupin strode to Pettigrew, picking him up by his shoulders and tossing him backward. The man landed back with a thump, twitching in terror. Together, Lupin and Black raised the wands in their hands, Black having picked Ron’s back up from the floor. They stood shoulder to shoulder, ready to cast and- 

“NO!” Harry screamed, managing to struggle out of Snape's hold and throw himself in front of Pettigrew. “You can’t kill him!” 

“Harry,” Black snarled. “This piece of shit is the reason your parents are dead. He would have seen you die too, without turning a hair.” 

“If you kill him, you have to go back to Azkaban!” Harry snapped. “We’ll take him back to the castle, and hand him over to the Ministry.” 

“As much as I loathe you, Black, he is correct.” Snape moved to stand beside him, scowling. “If you kill him here, you will never be able to prove your innocence.” 

“I can send an owl back to the house,” Harry added, looking between the adults. “They can get a team of Auror’s, and get them all to come here and take care of Pettigrew. He can rot in Azkaban.” 

“Harry!” Pettigrew gasped, moving to throw his arms around Harry’s knees. 

Snape didn’t let him, sending a stunning curse at the man. He flew back, wheezing on the ground as Lupin went forward to tie him. Snape stood at the ready, watching closely as they were all gathered up to leave. Harry and Hermione went to help Ron walk toward the door. 

They all went for the door, Crookshanks hopping off the bed to lead their little parade. 


	11. The Truth About Albus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter four times trying to figure out what to do. Do I torture myself with writing that stupid time travel prison break, or just take it out entirely. As you can see, I went with the later.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down the tunnel first. Ron needed to get to the Hospital wing for his leg, and Lupin and Snape were towards the back to keep an eye on Pettigrew. Sirius was right behind them seeming nervous as he tried to talk to Harry. 

“I don’t know if anyone ever told you,” Sirius tried, looking uncomfortable and nervous as he spoke. “Well, I doubt the Dursleys would have known, and Snape probably wouldn't have mentioned it either… But… I’m your godfather.” 

“Oh,” Harry said, trying to remain calm as Ron and Hermione tried to pretend they weren’t listening. “I didn’t know that.” 

“Well… Your parents appointed me your guardian. If anything happened to them, I was…” Black trailed off, clearing his throat. “I understand, of course, if you’d rather stay with the Alistair’s. They always seemed like good people, before I went to Azkaban.” 

“Look,” Harry said, closing his eyes as his voice cracked. Hermione, bless her, took Ron from him as they reached the exit, and let Harry and Sirius go out first. “If this had happened when I was still at the Dursley’s, I would have jumped on a chance like this. But now? I love my family, and I don’t really know you.” 

“Of course,” Sirius said quickly. “I thought you wouldn’t want to. I understand. I just thought that I’d-” 

“But I would like to,” Harry continued, as if Sirius hadn’t spoken at all. “It just has to go through my parents first. So once my Dad gets here, and your name is cleared, we can all sit down and talk about it. Just don’t tell them you were also a dog I took care of for six months.” 

Sirius grinned, the first one Harry had seen him make. It changed his entire face, making him look ten years younger, and ready to take on the world with charm and jokes. They waited for the rest of the group to come out of the hole, only for Lupin to not emerge. Snape did, pushing Pettigrew along. 

“Where’s professor Lupin?” Hermione asked. 

“It is a full moon, Granger,” Snape said. “He has yet to take any wolfsbane, and could transform any moment. He returned to the shack. And you three… You will go ahead to the castle.” 

“What?” Harry gasped, eyes wide. “No! I’m not leaving!” 

“Alistair,” Snape said, scowling at him. His head of house rarely scowled at him… “Must I remind you that you are currently out well past curfew, and Weasley needs to see Madam Pomfrey? Be grateful I’m not giving you detention. Now off with you.” 

He hesitated a moment, glancing at Ron and Hermione just ahead of him. They had paused, Ron wincing and trying not to let the pain in his leg show on his face, while Hermione was darting her eyes between the adults. Harry turned, his looking between Sirius and Snape nervously. Snape hated Sirius, though Harry still didn’t know why, and he wasn’t sure if Snape could be trusted to get Sirius to the castle safely. 

Snape seemed to understand what Harry was thinking, and scowled at Sirius. “He will get to the castle in one piece, I assure you, Alistair. I simply want a word with him.” 

Harry noticed the way Sirius scowled back at Snape when he called him Alistair. Perhaps a ‘chat’ would do them both some good? But it did get Harry thinking. Perhaps staying behind with Professor Lupin was the better option for Sirius. Now that Harry was safe, and Pettigrew caught, Sirius didn’t need to watch him. But until Sirius was cleared, it was best he stay out of sight. 

“It would probably be best if you stay out of sight until your name is cleared,” Harry said to Sirius, then smiled as he looked between them with an all to innocent smile. “So I’ll take Pettigrew back to the castle, so you two can talk.”

Snape scowled, clearly seeing what he was trying to do, but went with it anyway. He pushed Pettigrew forward, letting Harry take the chains from him. Grateful, Harry smiled, and marched the ratty man up the grounds to the castle. Just before they reached the courtyard, he turned back to glance at the two men further down the grounds. Neither looked to pleased to be alone in the others company… 

With a sigh, Harry turned to push Pettigrew into the courtyard. Ron and Hermione had disappeared inside, likely halfway to the Infirmary. 

“Harry,” a voice called, making him jump. 

It was in that moment that Pettigrew took his chance. The chains and ropes fell to the ground with thuds, a rat appearing in Pettigrew's place, only to disappear into the shadows. Harry lunged, trying to catch to slippery rat. But it was useless. Pettigrew was gone. 

“No!” Harry gasped, tears welling in his eyes. Pettigrew was gone, and Sirius wouldn’t be saved… Harry whipped around, eyes hard as his eyes landed on the person who had startled him. Of  _ course _ it was Dumbledore. “What the hell?!” 

Dumbledore frowned, ever so slightly. “I’m sorry?” 

“You better be!” Harry hissed. “You- You just condemned Sirius to death! That rat was the only thing that could prove his innocence!” 

“Sirius Black?” Dumbledore asked. “It seems you’ve been having a very strange dream. But now, it is past curfew. You really should be in bed.” 

Harry stared at Dumbledore, a truth coming to the front of his mind. Dumbledore… knew Sirius was innocent. He knew that Sirius hadn’t been the Potter’s Secret Keeper. He had known, and he let Sirius go to Azkaban  _ for no reason _ . 

He was sure that he couldn’t hate Dumbledore more then he did now. 

Without bothering to look at Dumbledore, Harry turned back, and ran out of the courtyard. stumbled to a stop in front of Snape and Sirius, the two men turning to him in surprise. 

“Harry?” Sirius asked, reaching out to help steady him. “What’s wrong?” 

“Where is Pettigrew?” Snape hissed, more urgently. 

“Got away,” Harry puffed, stopping to take deep and hurried breaths. “Dumbledore- He was in the courtyard. He surprised me and Pettigrew took the chance to escape. Sirius, you have to go.” 

For a moment, Sirius simply stared, as if he couldn’t believe it. Then, he turned and ran, back toward the Whomping Willow. Snape was scowling, frowning as Harry breathed hard. When he moved to put a hand on Harry’s shoulder, Harry shrugged it off, and went back towards the castle. He’d have to come up with something… He was the reason Pettigrew got away. If he was careful, could he convince his parents of Black’s innocence? 

Snape walked him all the way to the Slytherin Common Room, letting him inside without a word. When Harry went into his dorm room, Crabbe, Goyle, and Theodore were already asleep, while Blaise and Draco were sitting up and finishing their homework. 

“Harrison,” Draco said, blinking in surprise. “You look absolutely terrible…” 

“Don’t want to talk about it,” Harry grumbled. He didn’t look at them, simply flopping onto his bed, and pulling his pillow over his head. 

XxXXxX

Harry woke up the next morning in a daze. There had been so much to happen last night… And now he had to work to fix it. He had to… Somehow. 

With a sigh, Harry went through his day as he always did, exhausted, and not bothering to talk to his housemates. He just went straight to Ron and Hermione to tell them what had happened. They tried to cheer him up, but… It didn’t work very well. He knew this new mess was all his fault. 

When Lupin came back later that afternoon, Harry went to see him. He looked rather joyful and exhausted. 

“Sirius told me what happened,” Lupin said, softly. “If it hadn’t been a full moon, maybe I could have stopped it.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Harry said, scuffing his shoe on the floor. “Dumbledore was in the courtyard and… He startled me, and… And I dropped the rope…” 

Lupin shook his head, reaching out to put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Accidents happen. We’ll do what we can for now. You could speak to your parents, if you haven’t sent an owl already. Maybe your father could convince the rest of the Wizengamot to hold a retrial?” 

“Yeah,” Harry sighed, sitting in one of the chairs in the office. That's when he noticed the strange way most of the books on Lupin’s office shelves were gone. “What happened to all your books?” 

“Oh… Well, I thought it would be best to leave. As much as I’ve loved this job, I’m needed elsewhere at the moment.” 

Harry gaped at him. “But… your the best Defense teacher we’ve had! Where else could you possibly be needed?!” 

Lupin sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “Well, looking for Peter, for one… Now that he’s been outed, he may go looking for a way to bring back Voldemort. He tried to recruit werewolves last time, so it would be best to try and get them to be… more inclined to side with us, if another war was to break out. Don’t worry, Harry. Dumbledore will find another teacher, I’m sure.” 

Right, because the teachers Dumbledore hired are always the best… Harry wasn’t sure if the man was trying to get him killed, or trying to do something else, like convert Harry to his side. Either way, Harry had to say goodbye to the best teacher he’d ever had at this school. 

He watched Lupin go, with a promise that he’d send an owl over the summer, and went through the rest of term. His dormmates were clearly confused about his odd behavior in the following days, but Harry couldn’t really tell them what was happening. They’d call him crazy. So instead he talked about it with Ron and Hermione, and went to see Snape often. 

“There was nothing that could be done,” Snape said, when they had tea before they were meant to get on the train. “Though I’m starting to see why you don’t trust Dumbledore. The man is clearly not right…” 

“I think I could have prevented it, though,” Harry admitted. “If I had listened to Trelawny…” 

“Sybill?” Snape asked with a raised brow. “What does she have to do with this?” 

“Well, I’ve been taking Deviation, right? Just before everything happened, I had my exam, and she… might have made a prediction? About a servant returning and helping Voldemort come back to power.” 

“Harrison!” 

“What?” Harry said, throwing up his hands. “I thought she was a nutter! She said that I was born in December and predicted I was going to die every other day!” 

“Sybill Trelawney is a true seer,” Snape hissed. “She just can’t make daily predictions. She can, however, give very important prophecies. Including the one about  _ you _ .” 

“ _ Me _ ?” 

Snape sighed, running a hand over his face. “With all his focus on trying to turn you into some nitwit savior, I would have thought Dumbledore would tell you about the prophecy. But this will be a conversation to have with your parents present. Besides, it’s time for you to be on the train.” 

Harry sighed at that, getting rather frustrated. What was with adults and not telling him things? But Snape was right. This is something that his parents should be there for, since it was something so important. But with everything that had happened this year, there was already to much to tell them… 


	12. We Need to Talk

Throughout the train ride, Harry remained quiet in his seat by the window. His friends probably thought he would want to be more involved, considering it was the first time it was the first time that all five of his closest friends were together in one area. Blaise was talking Quidditch with Ron, and Hermione was trying very hard and failing to get Theodore to reveal the name of the book he was reading. Draco, meanwhile, sat in the seat across from Harry, frowning at him. 

“You aren’t normally the pouting type,” Draco said. “It’s quite out of character. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were someone else Polyjuiced as Harrison.” 

“Hey,” Ron said, though it didn’t have all that much heat to it. “Leave him alone, Malfoy.” 

In the reflection of the window, Harry could see Malfoy balk and turn to Ron to argue. Hermione jumped in before they could start a fight, speaking in hushed tones, as if she didn’t want Harry to hear. 

“A few… things happened last week,” she said in a hush. “It was all very sudden, and Harry has been taking it rather hard. It’s best we don’t bother him right now.” 

Though Hermione meant that in a way to get the Slytherin’s to leave him alone, Harry knew that would only make them more curious. He didn’t want to talk, though, so he wouldn’t. Instead, he would think. About what he would say to his parents about Sirius, about Pettigrew… About Dumbledore… 

When the train reached the platform, Harry did his best to smile and not let anyone worry as he went to join his parents. His mother greeted him and Skyla with hugs and smiles, congratulating Skyla on her graduation. Harry felt his chest swell with guilt. He had forgotten Skyla had been taking her NEWTs this year. She had past everything with Exceeds Expectations or Outstandings, though, and was thinking about becoming a MediWitch. 

As they left the station, though, Harry knew that his father, at the very least, was suspicious. Mama wasn’t ignoring Harry, but she was more focused on Skyla. After all, Skyla was the last Alistair daughter to go to Hogwarts, and next year, only Harry would be left to graduate out of all his siblings. If he survived that long, that is. 

His mother’s excitement died when they reached the house, only to find Snape waiting at the gate with a big black dog. She probably didn’t recognize Sirius as the dog from Diagon Alley, but Harry did. What she saw was Snape standing at their door with a Grim. 

“What are you doing here with that?” She asked, voice sharp and full of worry. Instinctively, she moved to put herself between Snape and Harry. 

“Mom,” Harry said, soft and gentle. “We need to talk…” 

She looked from Harry to Snape and back again, clearly confused. 

XxXXxX

Their talk hadn’t started very well, or at all, as his mother had them all sit down at the table for tea first. Everyone in the house had to be present, and it took a while to pull Derrick from his potions. But, as soon as Snape poked his head in, Derrick was quick to come out to see just what was going on. 

“All right,” Mama finally said, setting down her tea. She sounded cool and confident, but they could all see the slightest shake of her nervous hands. “What is this all about?” 

Harry glanced at Snape, not sure who should go first. He could certainly explain everything he knew about Sirius and Pettigrew, but Snape was the only one present that knew anything about the prophecy. It could be easier for Snape to start, from the beginning… 

“As Harrison seems hesitant to speak, I suppose I will start.” Snape scowled down his nose at Harry, then turned to the rest of the table. “About thirteen years ago, before the end of the war, I was a spy for the Dark Lord.” 

This… Harry hadn’t known. He actually balked, staring at Snape in shock and horror. He knew that there had been something Snape hadn’t told him, especially with the way Sirius had reacted to the man. But to learn that Snape had been a spy for Voldemort, maybe even had the dark mark… 

“While I was a spy,” Snape said, not letting Harry think too deeply on it, “I was tasked with observing Dumbledore as he interviewed new Divination professors. And while I was listening in, Sybill Trelawney began to give a prophecy. I did not hear the entire prophecy, but I did hear the start.  _ ‘The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies.’ _

“When I was chased out, I took the information to the Dark Lord. He, in turn, began a search for who the prophecy was about. And, eventually, he settled on the Potter’s. He didn't go after them immediately, but Dumbledore had already sent them into hiding under a Fidelius Charm.” 

“Yes, and we know the rest,” mother said sharply as she picked up her tea cup after Dizzy popped in to fill it. “Their chosen secret keeper, Sirius Black, turned them over to He Who Must Not Be Named. I remember Gerald going over the information.” 

Sirius growled a little from where he was sitting on the floor next to Harry's chair. He gave the dog form of his Godfather a nudge, just a small one with his foot, to remind him to be polite. 

“That's not exactly what happened though,” Harry said, only to squirm as his mother's eyes turned on him. “Sirius Black wasn't the secret keeper. It was Peter Pettigrew. He was the one that betrayed Lily and James Potter.” 

“Harrison,” she said, slow and rather concerned. “There was rather concise evidence that Sirius Black was the one behind it all. He confessed his guilt to the aurors that brought him in.”

Snape gave a snort. “Black had always had a flare for the dramatic, even when it wasn't in his best interest. But as I knew him during school, as I knew all of Potter's group, Black was anything but Dark. He turned on his family because of their focus on Dark Arts, and was extremely loyal to Potter. If he had been the secret keeper, he likely would have died before telling the Dark Lord where the Potter's were.” 

Mother brought her hand to her head, sighing as Father looked contemplative. “Dizzy, bring some wine, please…” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. 

Harry cleared his throat, and stood, nudging Sirius to get his attention. “This is where I have a confession, I guess? And before you freak out, just… listen, okay?” He took a deep breath, and glanced at Snuffles. “I've been working with Sirius Black.” 

There were gasps of shock and horror around the table, and the glass of wine that Dizzy had just brought his mother shattered as it hit the floor. Papa had stood sharply from his chair, only to almost fall back into it when his knees buckled and almost gave out without the support of his cane. 

“Harrison,” Derrick said, openly staring at him. “You can't possibly be serious. Not even you could be that reckless and idiotic. Whatever he's told you could be a lie.” He turned to Snape. “You haven’t been tricked into this tale, have you?” 

“It’s true,” Snape said, turning to scowl at Snuffles. “And I believe that it is time for him to speak for himself.” 

Harry wanted to protest, but Snuffles was already changing, morphing from a thick haired dog to a somewhat mangey man. Sirius wasn’t dirty, but he wasn’t completely clean, either. Snape must have taken him somewhere to have a quick shower. 

Instantly, the others around the table were up. Mama had her wand out, as did Derrick, pointing them at Sirius and ready to cast a spell if Sirius so much as twitched. Papa had picked up his cane, and looked more like he was brandishing a weapon then the hard wooden stick. Sirius, not at all phased, held up his hands. 

“Hey,” Sirius said. “I’m not here to hurt anybody. Just here to talk.” 

“You’re a criminal,” Papa practically growled, holding his cane tighter. “I should have my elves call for the Auror’s and-” 

“And throw him in Azkaban without a trial again?” Harry asked, making everyone pause. “We’re not the only ones that Dumbledore has been messing with. Sirius isn’t to blame. Not in the way you think. If you don’t want to trust him, then at least trust me.” 

Slowly, his family sat back down, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. He remained standing though, as he started to explain. He told them everything he could think of. The truth behind the Potter’s Secret Keeper, and Dumbledore’s involvement. Sirius helped explain why he had been at Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew’s betrayal, and all that. It took time, what felt like hours, to get everything said that needed to be said. 

When they finished, Harry waited, hoping that his family would understand. 

“If what you say is true,” Papa said as he scowled. “Then you’ll need to start training immediately.” 

“What?” Harry asked, blinking in surprise. 

“And the wards will need to be changed,” Mama mused, one hand on her cheek in thought. “He Who Must Not Be Named is known for using Snakes… Derrick, you’ll need to start brewing anti-venoms, just in case.” 

Derrick nodded, standing from his chair and turning to head to his potions lab after giving Snape a simple nod. Skyla chewed one of her nails. 

“I should stay here,” she said. “Help Harry train…” 

“No,” Mama said. “We may need a good healer. You’ll go study medi-wizardry like you planned.” 

Harry blinked, looking around at his family. He didn’t understand what was going on. “What… What’s happening?” 

Papa turned, frowning at Harry. “Harrison, if Pettigrew is truly loyal to You Know Who, and has nothing left to lose, he will likely try to revive him. And you will need to be ready.” 

“Ready for what?” 

This time, it was Snape that stood, eyes closed as he placed both hands on the table. “For war…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus wraps up Prisoner of Azkaban! A bit shorter then I had originally thought it would be, but I REALLY didn't want to do the whole Time Turner stuff... But fear not! Goblet of Fire is looking to be at least 18 good length chapters so far, with some interesting events. But please! If you think there's something that should be in Goblet of Fire, or if you have questions about this part, put in the comments below!


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